Ten Days
by Akatsuki Child
Summary: Apollo x Thalia "Just hang out with him until I come back. It's only for ten days. I'll even let you take a month of Hunting off." Thalia really hated being blackmailed.
1. Prologue

**Ten Days**

**_Prologue_**

"Thaaaliaaa," Apollo called in a sing-song voice. "Where arrre youuu?"

Thalia sighed from her spot in the bushes. Yes, hiding from a god in Central Park was childish, but hey, this was Apollo she was dealing with. She was sure that other people would do the same thing if they were stuck in her situation.

"This isn't very nice, you know. I may have to _punish_ you for this."

Thalia rolled her eyes at his innuendo, not in the least bit amused. It got very quiet suddenly, and after a few minutes of continued silence, she figured he had moved on. She quietly stepped out of the bushes with a sigh of relief, but then…

"Found you!"

"AHH!"

**_Earlier that week…_**

"Thalia, I need to speak with you," Artemis announced, looking at Thalia with an expression that screamed serious business. Thalia nodded once and followed Artemis into her tent. She knew the tent was enchanted so the inside was actually like a living room, but she was still amazed with it every time she entered.

In the middle of the floor was a fire to keep them warm (considering it was the middle of December). Artemis sat down on one side of the fire and Thalia sat down on the other, crossing her legs Indian style.

"Is something wrong?" Thalia asked worriedly.

"No, not really," Artemis replied, her expression grim. She took a deep breath. "In a few days, I have to leave."

"Why?"

"I'm going to help Zeus with some business up in Olympus. I'm going to be gone for ten days, starting on the sixteenth. I'll arrive back sometime late on the twenty-sixth."

"Okay," Thalia nodded. "So you want me to watch the Hunters, right?"

"Um, well…not exactly. As you know, that time period is during Christmas, and every so often, my brother comes to see me for Christmas."

At the mention of the sun god, the red flag in Thalia's head was raised and warning bells went off.

"Oh really?" Thalia asked, trying to hide her distaste for the man.

"And it just so happens that he's coming down this year." Artemis took another deep breath. "Knowing my brother, he'll cause mischief and mayhem, and I need someone to look after him and keep him occupied. Since you are my most trusted lieutenant and since I know you won't be ogling him, I'm asking you to watch over my brother."

Thalia just stared at the goddess like she had sprouted an extra head.

She swallowed thickly. "So let me get this straight," she started, her voice weak. "You're going to be gone, so I have to babysit Apollo for _ten days_ until you get back?"

"Precisely."

"Why don't you just take him with you if he's coming down to see you in the first place?"

"Zeus specifically asked for me alone."

"B-but who will look after the Hunters then if I'm with Apollo?"

"Olivia, my second best lieutenant, can handle the job."

Thalia swallowed and shook her head. "I'm not going to do it."

She crossed her arms defiantly. Being around Apollo was a sure way to get a migraine, and quite frankly, she wanted to keep her sanity. Besides, Apollo was a _god_. He could take care of himself.

No. There was _no way_ Thalia was doing this favor for Artemis.

"Please, Thalia. I'm asking you as a friend. If you do this for me, you can sit back and relax for a whole month. You can even go to that camp of yours if you'd like."

But when she put it that way…

_Dammit, _Thalia thought with a scowl,_ I hate black mail._

She glared at the floor for a long time before finally muttering, "Fine."

Artemis smiled thankfully. "I am forever grateful."

The daughter of Zeus just sighed, wondering why she had just given up her Christmas holiday. _After these ten days are up, I may be in need of some serious therapy._

A few days later, Thalia found herself slouching miserably in her stance next to Artemis. She and the goddess were waiting outside for Apollo to arrive. Once he did and after Artemis had a talk with him, she would be on her way and Thalia would officially be on her own.

Thalia grimaced at the thought of being with the sun god for _ten whole days_. She shuddered, already regretting this decision.

Finally, after quite some time of standing in the cold and blistering wind, Apollo decided to grace them with his presence. Thalia spotted his red BMW descending in the sky, a great contrast against the gray, hazy clouds. After a few minutes, it landed in the clearing before them and out from the vehicle stepped the Luke look-a-like, a dazzling grin on his face. As Apollo turned his gaze onto the two women, Thalia could see his eyes were glittering with mischief.

"Baby sister!" he exclaimed, walking up to the two.

Artemis just glared at him. "Hello, Apollo."

"So, what's up?"

Thalia sighed to herself, snuggling deeper in her coat. She listened as Artemis explained about her upcoming absence.

"I'm working with Zeus," she explained in a steely voice. Thalia didn't miss the serious look that the siblings exchanged before going back to their normal selves. Artemis had glowered at Apollo, who had been glaring at her. Just as quick as it came, though, the moment had passed and their expressions were calm once again.

_Interesting…_Thalia thought. _I wonder what that was all about._

"I'm leaving you with my most trusted lieutenant, Thalia Grace."

Apollo grinned down at Thalia, who forced a smile on her face.

"I remember you," Apollo beamed. "You're the one who drove my chariot not too long ago!"

Thalia grimaced as the memory of being so high up came crashing down on her. "Don't remind me," she muttered.

He laughed. "So, I get to stick with her for ten days?" he asked.

Artemis glared. "Yes, but if you so much as look at her—or any of my Hunters, for that matter—in the wrong way and I find out, I'll get Hephaestus to wreck that car of yours for good."

He narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would. I'd _gladly_ do it," Artemis smirked evilly.

Apollo glared at her and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. Artemis turned to Thalia.

"If you ever need me, just Iris-message me. Don't let him do anything embarrassing," she mumbled in a low voice.

Thalia nodded, though she wasn't making any promises. A chance to see Apollo make a fool of himself? She'd get front row seats and fresh popcorn.

"Well then," Artemis announced, "I'm off. Remember what I said, Apollo."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

She glared at him one last time and then turned and sprinted, disappearing in the thicket of the forest.

Thalia stared after the goddess for a while, wishing that by some miracle she would turn around and take pity on Thalia and not make her do this. Unfortunately, she never came back. Sighing, Thalia turned and began walking back towards the camp the Huntresses had set up.

"So," Apollo started, matching his stride with hers, a grin still on his face. "We get to hang out for a while, huh?"

"Unfortunately," she muttered. His heightened hearing caught it, though, and he only chuckled.

"Aw, it won't be that bad! We'll have loads of fun!"

"Sure, sure." A roll of the eyes.

Thalia Grace had no idea what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

**I was reading a story called "This Is It" and the author put in some ApolloThalia, and the way she portrayed the two together made me become a fan of this couple. I've always liked the idea of them together, but after reading that story I decided to actually write a story of my own.**

**Thanks for reading and REVIEW please! I'd really appreciate it!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	2. Day One

**SO SORRY this came out late. I've been telling myself to finish it ever since the fourth. I was really busy though. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day One**

_Thalia sighed happily as she laid in the tall, lush grass, basking in the warmth of the sun. The smell of nearby flowers and dirt (which was actually quite refreshing) filled her senses. Hands behind her head, she stared up at the robin's egg-blue sky, puffy, white clouds floating by her slowly. They were just daring her to try and guess what they looked like—_

"Thalia! Wake up!"

Thalia was rudely awakened from her dream by none other than the sun god. She glared fiercely at him, but she figured she looked as threatening as a kitten when half her face was buried in the pillow and her hair was a haystack. After realizing this, she buried herself back in the small blanket and fluffy pillow.

"No." Why did she have a feeling it wasn't that easy?

"Yes! It's a beautiful day out today!"

"And it's also cold and, what, six in the morning?"

"Correction: it's _seven_ in the morning."

Thalia promptly threw a pillow at his face, which he neatly dodged.

"Thaliaaaa!" Apollo pouted, shaking her. "Come on!"

She attempted to kick him in the chest, throwing out her leg out in a serious jab, but he just grabbed her ankle and stood up, dragging her out of the tent.

Thalia couldn't help but squeal in surprised embarrassment. "Apollo!" she exclaimed, getting her butt dragged out into the cold. "Let go of me!"

"Do you promise to get your butt up?"

"Well, technically, you already accomplished that," Thalia deadpanned. Then she sighed. "But yes."

Apollo grinned and released her, her leg dropping to the ground with a _thunk_.

Some of the hunters, who had come out to see what the commotion was, giggled at Thalia. She glared at each of them in turn.

"Good morning, ladies," Apollo greeted suavely, smiling and waving at a few Hunters who were studying a map. They blushed, and one even giggled.

"Stop flirting," Thalia demanded, hitting him over the head. "Your sister said she'd crash your car." Thalia stopped and realized what she was saying. "On second thought, keep flirting."

Apollo just grinned. "What, are you jealous?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. _How immature…_

She stomped back to her tent to grab her jacket, trying to ignore Apollo's rantings as he followed her.

"I think this all stems from the fact that you are totally into me. My sister leaving, her threatening me, you being jealous with my flirting…it's all because you love me, right? I thought so. I knew I was irresistible. You should have just said something…"

Thalia mentally groaned as she pulled her sweatshirt over her head and wrapped her scarf around her neck. _This guy is driving me nuts already. He reminds me of Aphrodite…_

Thalia shivered. That was a scary thought.

"Were you even listening to me, Thalia?"

"Nope."

Thalia grabbed her bow and stepped outside.

Apollo scowled at her. "I said we should go to the cities since Christmas is coming. That's the best time to go."

Thalia sighed and gripped her bow in frustration. "Fine," she spit out. "But only if you zap us there."

Apollo grinned. "My pleasure."

Giving him a look of distaste, she walked over to the second-best lieutenant, Olivia.

"Olivia," Thalia called.

Olivia turned and smiled at Thalia. She had brown hair and silver eyes that shined brilliantly in the sunlight.

"Hey, Thalia," Olivia replied.

"I'm going to be leaving," she reluctantly said. "I need you to watch over the Hunters."

Olivia nodded. "All right." She glanced behind Thalia and found Apollo staring at them. Olivia smiled. "Going with Apollo?"

"Unfortunately."

"Good luck."

Thalia sighed. "Thanks."

And with that, she turned to Apollo, who only smirked before snapping his fingers.

A few minutes later, Thalia found herself leading the flirtatious god through the streets of Manhattan. She scowled as she re-wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"Okay. We're here. Now what?" Thalia spoke.

"We explore!" Apollo said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He held his arms out wide, gesturing to the tall skyscrapers, the wide sidewalks, and the many yellow taxi-cabs lining every street. "Have you ever been here during Christmas?"

"Nope. I've been a tree half my life, then I was traveling with Artemis," she deadpanned. "Haven't exactly had time to sightsee."

"I suppose that would be hard to do as a tree."

Thalia felt her eye twitch. She promptly turned on her heel and stalked off down the street.

Apollo smiled as he followed after her, thinking about how much fun it was to tease this girl. Thalia began to think of different ways she could ditch him. She had to admit it wasn't an easy prospect, ditching a god, but mark her words, she would find a way…

As the two fell into the same stride, an awkward silence fell upon them.

"Uh…" Apollo spoke up, scratching his neck. "We should probably find hotel rooms for the week."

Thalia raised a brow. "A week? We're staying that long?"

"Well, actually more than a week. We _have_ to stay for Christmas day. You need to see what it looks like."

Thalia nodded, the mantra, _Camp…Camp…Camp,_ reminding her of Artemis's promise if she stayed with Apollo. She then started down the street, but Apollo stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"To find a hotel…" she answered slowly.

"I already have a hotel in mind."

Fifteen minutes later, Thalia found herself staring up at the huge, black, marble hotel. It had to have at least seventy floors.

"Wow." That was the only thing she could say.

"Wow, indeed." Apollo opened the door for her and followed her inside. They found themselves inside a large lobby with cream-colored marble floors, black leather furniture, and wooden coffee tables that were facing a huge flat screen. Above them was a large golden chandelier that hung from a ceiling painted with different angels and gods.

"Hey! That's me!" Apollo exclaimed, pointing up at the ceiling. Thalia blinked.

On both sides of the room were two long black counters. Behind them stood serious-looking hotel staff, typing away on high-tech computers or helping travelers check into their rooms. A few were out helping the bell boys and telling them where to take luggage.

The god and demi-god duo approached one of the counters. Apollo leaned against the counter nonchalantly and flashed a brilliant smile at the wrinkly old man that was going to check them into their room. Thalia couldn't help but snort. This was going to be brilliant.

"Hello there, good sir," Apollo greeted genially.

The old staff worker merely raised a bushy brow, causing his forehead to wrinkle greatly. "Can I help you?" he asked in a deep, smooth voice.

"Reservation under Michael Yew."

Thalia raised a brow at Apollo. He just shrugged and mumbled, "I don't think my son will mind if I use his name for a bit…"

Thalia wasn't surprised with this.

The man typed on his computer for all of ten seconds before speaking. "Ah, here we are. The suite on the top floor, yes?"

Apollo grinned. "That's correct."

Thalia had to admit, a suite would be really nice…But sharing it with Apollo dimmed her appreciation for it.

The man pulled out two key cards, handing one to Apollo and one to Thalia. "Room 824. The elevators are around the corner and to your left. Enjoy your stay here."

Apollo smiled. "Thank you." He pointed at him. "Stay cool."

Thalia sighed to herself as she followed the sun god to the elevators.

"'Stay cool'? Really?"

"Was it too much?"

"Why did you even say it?"

"Well I thought 'stay old' was a little mean."

Thalia rolled her eyes, something she found herself doing a lot lately.

Once in the elevators, Apollo hit the button with a big eight sprawled on it. She swallowed. The top floor. Heights. Yuck. As long as she stayed away from windows, she figured she would be alright.

The doors ding-ed open and the two stepped out and walked down the hall to their suite. Thalia used her card and opened the door to reveal a huge suite with plush carpet and huge bay windows (Thalia shivered from the glimpse she got of the city way below them). The walls were an off white and there was a wall jutting halfway into the room, splitting it in two with big king-sized beds on each side.

_Stay here for a week? No problem,_ Thalia thought with a smirk as she went and collapsed on the bed. Upon further inspection, Thalia found a big flat screen TV in the wall and a bar with a mini fridge stalked with root beer, cookies, and other delicious treats.

"Pretty awesome, right?"

Thalia glanced at Apollo and found him jumping on the bed. She decided to just ignore him.

As she lay on her bed with her hands behind her head, she was suddenly struck with a realization. She looked up and saw that Apollo was completely engrossed with the room. He wouldn't really notice if she snuck out and tried to ditch him…

Yeah, she loved the room, but she was nervous whenever she was around Apollo. And he annoyed her to no end. He wasn't exactly the brightest guy (figuratively speaking), so he probably wouldn't notice anything out of place if she "went to the grocery store…"

She stood up suddenly, making herself dizzy. "I'm, uh, going to the grocery store."

"Why? Just order room service."

Dammit, she never thought about it. Thinking about it now, anything she wanted Apollo himself could get.

Well, except for one thing…

"It's for, uh…womanly materials…" she mumbled, blushing incredibly. She stared at anything but him.

Apollo was silent for all of three seconds before the blush crept up on his face. "O-oh. R-right…"

That was all she got, so she awkwardly turned on her feet and left out the door without saying anything else. In all actuality, she didn't need _those things. _It was just her ticket out.

Once the door shut with a silent click, Thalia hightailed it to the elevator, clicking the down button repeatedly until it actually opened, revealing an empty elevator. She stepped inside and clicked the lobby button three times. She bounced on her feet as she waited for the elevator doors to open. When they did finally open, Thalia power walked to the main doors, the alarmed doorman quickly opening the door for her.

"Have a good day, Ma'am," he said with a nod.

Thalia merely smiled at him and then rushed down the street, weaving in and out of the large crowds of Manhattan. As soon as she was four blocks away from the hotel, she stopped by the side of a building and caught her breath. She smirked back at the tall hotel building before walking triumphantly across the street to a small diner. She was going to celebrate her victory of ditching Apollo with a cheeseburger and a shake.

Apollo realized something was wrong when, after ten minutes, she still hadn't come back. For gods sake, the store was right across the street! Did it honestly take that long?

So, wanting to make sure his little friend was okay (if she wasn't his car would be dismantled), he left the comfort and awesomeness of the suite and rushed to the store across the street. He entered the small, weird-smelling shop and quickly scanned the aisles, finding them Thalia-less.

He wasn't all too worried about her. She could definitely take care of herself. But…his car…

_No,_ he thought defiantly, _I'll find her._

He left the shop and started walking down the street, his eyes peeled for a girl with spiky black hair.

Then, out of nowhere, he saw her leave a shop, smiling to herself. He watched as she scanned the area before locking eyes with him. He waved frantically at her, grinning from ear to ear.

Thalia's eyes widened upon seeing Apollo waving madly at her. She snapped her head the other way and started walking (rather furiously) the other way, pretending she hadn't noticed him. She unknowingly made her way to the park, and just as she was about to look back and see if she lost him, she was suddenly tackled to the ground.

By Apollo.

People who passed them looked at them weirdly as Apollo sat on Thalia.

"Thalia!" Apollo exclaimed.

"What the hell?" Thalia gasped as she tried to shove him off.

"I believe the correct term is 'Hades.'"

"Can't breathe," she wheezed, her lungs being crushed under the weight of Apollo.

"Oh—sorry." Apollo stood up and pulled her to her feet. "I thought you were going to the store?"

Thalia glared at him under her lashes. Operation: Ditch Apollo—failure.

"I _was_…"

"There was one right across the street you know…" He still seemed confused and, like Thalia had predicted, clueless.

"Let's just…go back to the hotel." Thalia shook her head slightly and started walking into the crowded streets, Apollo right beside her, his stride matching hers. They didn't say anything as Apollo contemplated what Thalia was up to and as Thalia mentally groaned that her plan failed—miserably, in fact.

It was silent as they entered the hotel. Thalia was just waiting for him to say something stupid or perverted, and when they were in the elevator, he finally cracked.

"You know, if you can't sleep tonight, you can come to my bed. I'm sure I could find a way to get you to sleep."

Thalia just sighed and ignored his smirking face. _It's going to be a long week…_

* * *

**This chapter was okay, but did you guys like it? It's hard to write Thalia and Apollo because I've never worked with them as the main people.**

**Just a heads up...on Saturday, I'm going to leave for a week, and I won't get any writing time in (it's a party week at a friend's cabin) and so I wouldn't expect an update anytime soon, but I promise to try and update before I leave :D**

**Thanks for reading and review please! Tell me if you liked it and if you think Apollo and Thalia are OOC or not...**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	3. Day Two

**I'm back from my vacation! Yay! I basically wrote this in one day, so sorry if it's not the greatest. I promise the chapters will get longer and better though, and eventually the romance will be coming :D**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day Two**

"Over there you'll see the Empire State Building. And—oh, look! It's a hobo!"

"I've been to New York before. I know the cities."

Thalia rolled her eyes at Apollo and his attempt to be a tour guide. They were currently in Central Park, and as they walked through the snow covered sidewalks, Apollo tried to show off Manhattan and its amazing sites. However, Thalia would just shrug him off.

Apollo huffed. "Fine then. If you don't want to talk about Manhattan, what _do_ you want to do?"

"Have a minute of peace and quiet?" she asked sarcastically.

Apollo sighed and tugged on his wooly mittens. "I really don't see why Manhattan _isn't_ interesting to you. You've obviously never been here during Christmas, so I thought you'd be excited and stuff—"

Thalia decided to ignore him. Why didn't he ever shut up? Didn't he get the hint that she didn't want to talk?

She never really understood how he and Artemis were twins. They were so different. Artemis was calm and mature ninety-nine percent of the time. Apollo was loud, talkative, and immature _all_ the time. She knew he had a serious side, but she very rarely saw that side.

Speaking of Artemis…what was so important that she needed to leave for ten days? Why did Zeus specifically ask for her? She remembered when Artemis had told Apollo why she was leaving. They had threw grim, harsh looks at each other.

_Apollo must know why she's gone, and it must be serious._

"—but the hobos creep me out sometimes, so I usually only walk in Central Park with a buddy—"

"Hey Apollo?"

Apollo abruptly stopped ranting. "Yeah?"

"Do you know why Artemis left?"

The god stopped in his tracks unexpectedly, and Thalia had to backtrack. They were now standing on a deserted pathway, a cover of trees around them. Snow was piled up on the sides of the stone walkway.

Thalia looked up at the sun god's face. He held a grim expression, his lips pursed. He turned his steely gaze on her and said in a hard voice, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

That's all he said on the matter. He looked away from her, his face remaining stoic as he stared over into the distance. Thalia, however, was now confused, worried, and curious. He was obviously lying. He knew what was going on. By the way he acted, it had to be serious. But why wouldn't he tell her?

Suddenly, they heard someone yelling. The two looked up the path, surprised, to see a frightened hobo running towards them, his arms flailing everywhere.

"Run! Run for your lives! The monster is coming!"

With wild eyes, he stopped and grabbed Apollo's coat, shaking him. "Run, man, run!" Then he sprinted off again.

Instantly, Thalia became suspicious. A monster? It couldn't be…

Apollo shivered. "That was probably one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me."

Thalia rolled her eyes. Her hand twitched towards her bow. "You don't think he…saw through the Mist…do you?"

Apollo suddenly smirked—scaring Thalia to no end—as his bow, golden and silver, suddenly materialized in his hand. His golden quiver also appeared, slung on his back with an array of different, unique arrows filling it. "Oh, he did alright," he responded. He looked off expectantly down the path, his smirk growing wider.

Thalia swallowed and looked just in time to see a hydra burst through the trees, snapping its jaws and spraying venom everywhere. It was huge and menacing, and it had nine heads.

"Great," Thalia deadpanned. "Nine. Just fabulous."

"Tch, that's nothing," Apollo grinned.

Thalia stared at him. _Yup, he's crazy._

"You can't tell me you're scared."

She glared at him. "Hades, no."

And with that, they started to fight the hydra. As the hydra spotted them just standing there, two of its heads lunged at them. Thalia leaped out of the way to her right. She rolled over to the coverage of a tree and drew her bow and arrow. She loaded it with two arrows and skillfully aimed at the hydra and shot at it. The arrows notched into the hydra's chest, causing it to roar and knock aside a bunch of trees. Snow flew up in a temporary blizzard, making it hard to see where everything was at.

Thalia heard a high pitch whistle, and she figured it was one of Apollo's arrows. When the snow cleared, she saw the hydra growling and roaring. She counted the heads and realized there were ten now.

"You cut off its head?" she accused incredulously.

"I slipped on some ice, okay!"

She glared at Apollo, who was now sitting high in a tree across the path from her. He just ignored her hard look.

_Wait a minute…ice!_

Thalia poked her head around the tree and spotted a big patch of ice in the middle of the path.

_Bingo._

"Hey, do you have a flaming arrow?" she called, pulling out three arrows.

"Yeah, why?" he replied, pulling out two arrows with fire on the ends.

"I've got a plan. Just take aim and fire."

"Wait, what are you—"

Thalia ignored his objections and raced out onto the path like a gazelle, leaping over snow piles and dodging venom the hydra sprayed at her.

She stopped ten feet from the patch of ice. She notched the three arrows onto her bow and aimed at the beast. She shot them. One lodged itself into a neck on one of the heads, another stuck in its chest, and the third sailed pass, just barely missing the monster.

"Hey ugly! Over here!" She waved at the creature, trying to get its attention. All ten heads turned to glare at her with coal-black eyes. The hydra roared and started charging towards her, but Thalia shook off her nerves. She turned and hightailed it back down the path. Like she planned, the hydra followed her and stupidly ran onto the ice.

Breathing hard, Thalia turned and saw the hydra slip and slide on the ice, crashing down and shattering the pavement and a few trees.

Apollo smirked and took aim. He fired and the two flaming arrows lodged into the hydra. It howled in pain, spraying venom everywhere. It started to get up, but then the arrows exploded. The fire spread throughout the hydra and it finally gave its last wail before bursting into the golden dust-like residue that monsters became after being slain.

Thalia stared at the gold dust as it blew away and dissipated in the wind. Suddenly, she felt Apollo standing beside her. She turned and stared up at him.

"Nice shot."

He smirked. "That was a pretty nifty plan. Pretty brilliant, actually."

Thalia blushed a bit. She changed the subject by saying, "So, you actually slipped on ice?"

Apollo pouted and crossed his arms, his bow and quiver disappearing from his person. Thalia smirked and started to walk off out of the park, Apollo matching her stride.

"Nothing like an afternoon kill, eh?" Apollo said painfully cheerful, a brilliant grin on his face.

Thalia raised a brow. "Are you Canadian now?"

Apollo just chuckled in response.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued through Central Park. The stone walkways were cleared of snow, causing huge drifts to form on the sides. The trees were dead and hunched over themselves, some branches carrying traces of snow. The sky was gray and cloudy, a usual winter sky. The only noise they could hear was a faint trace of the cars and common bustle of New York in the distance.

Then, suddenly, it started snowing. It was just the soft, fluffy kind of snow that fell slowly to the earth. Once it landed, it lasted for a few seconds before melting to water.

Apollo shivered and huffed. Thalia looked at him questioningly.

"Sun god here," he simply said. "I don't like snow."

Thalia smirked. "I don't mind it."

His nose wrinkled. "I'd rather it be summer. Sunny and hot, all the time. Like me."

She rolled her eyes as Apollo just glared at any snowflake that dare land on his jacket.

As the two were walking, they came across a path that held a pack of four girls. They were all pretty and blonde and staring at Apollo. In a matter of seconds, they were stalking towards him, giggling and whispering to themselves.

"Hey," one girl said flirtatiously.

As they swarmed over him, Apollo stared at Thalia with wide, hopeful eyes, pleading her to help him. However, her mind hatched another 'Ditch Apollo' idea, and so she just grinned evilly at him and gave him a short wave before jogging off.

Apollo scowled to himself. _She is pure evil._

Usually he loved flirting with girls—it's what he was good at—but he just wasn't up to it. He wanted to spend time with his sister's lieutenant.

Thalia, meanwhile, ran down the paths of Central Park in a complicated labyrinth before diving behind some big, bushy shrubbery. She pulled her knees to her chest and tried to control her hard breathing. Yes, hiding from a god in the park bushes was childish, but hey, this was Apollo. She was sure other people would do it too if they were stuck in her situation.

It was silent for a long time as the snow continued to fall down. Maybe her plan had actually worked. Maybe he was too engulfed with the girls that she had successfully ditched him.

"Thaaaliaaa," Apollo suddenly called in a sing-song voice. "Where arrre youuu?"

Thalia groaned quietly and dropped her head onto her knees. Operation: Ditch Apollo With Girls—Fail.

"This isn't very nice, you know. I may have to _punish_ you for this."

Thalia rolled her eyes at his innuendo, not in the least bit amused. It got very quiet, and after a few minutes, she was sure he had moved on. She quietly stepped out of the bushes with a sigh of relief, brushing the dirt and snow off of her-

"Found you!"

"AHH!"

Apollo laughed at her angry expression. She glared at him harshly, her face hot with embarrassment.

"Jerk," she muttered and stalked off. Apollo was hot on her heels.

"That was mean, you know. Leaving me with those girls."

"I thought you liked girls," Thalia said harshly.

"Believe me, I do."

"So then you should've loved it."

"Well, it was horrible. And just for that, you're buying me dinner."

Thalia raised a brow at him as they exited the park and stepped onto the busy Manhattan streets once again.

"I'm not buying you dinner."

"Yes, you are. You're an evil woman for leaving me with those girls, and the only way you can pay me back is to buy me dinner. Oh, and it just so happens I'm _starving._"

Thalia crossed her arms and stared up at him. "The only way I'll be you dinner is if you eat cheeseburgers and shakes with me."

Apollo smirked and raised his brow. "So…like a date?"

Thalia promptly smacked him. "_No._"

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed his head where she hit him. "Fine then. Cheeseburgers it is."

He snapped his fingers and they were suddenly standing before a restaurant. He opened the door for her and she stepped inside. She was immediately assaulted with the smell of food being grilled. Her belly gurgled as the two went and sat at the main counter on metal stools.

"Two cheeseburgers and two shakes, please," Apollo smiled charmingly at the waitress.

"Y-yes," the lady stuttered before scurrying off.

"Sure you don't want this to be a date?" Apollo teased, smirking down at Thalia.

Thalia scowled. "Get your mind out of the gutter. Even if I could date, I wouldn't date you, so stop trying."

"Ouch, man."

Apollo stared at her. He liked her. There was just something about her that he found really intriguing.

He sighed to himself. She was his sister's lieutenant. She was off-limits.

A few minutes later, the cheeseburgers arrived along with their shakes.

"Mmmm…" Thalia hummed, picking it up. She took a bite and smiled. It was really good. "I love cheeseburgers."

"Me too."

They ate their burgers in silence and drank their shakes. When they were done, Thalia grudgingly slapped some money on the counter and they left the warmth of the restaurant to return to the chilly, outside air.

"Thanks for dinner, Thalia," Apollo smirked. "It was awesome."

Thalia glared. "Whatever."

And with that, she stalked off back to the hotel. Apollo only chuckled and followed after her.

_Yeah, there's something interesting about her all right…_

* * *

**Apollo thinks Thalia is interesting and intriguing! Yay! That's a good sign!**

**Did you guys like it? I hope the characters are still alright and not OOC.**

**Thanks for reading and REVIEW please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	4. Day Three

**Sorry about the late update. I'm finally getting some free time to write again :D Besides, this story is very difficult for me to write because I don't normally use these characters. It becomes hard to imagine them in situations then and how they would act, yet still keep them incharacter. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day Three**

_Day three of torture…_

This was Thalia's first thought as she awoke in the massive suite in her own bed. She was snuggled under the blankets, her head buried in the big fluffy pillows. This was paradise compared to the usual tent she slept in.

She yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. After blinking blurrily, she regained her vision, only to see Apollo staring down at her.

"GAH!" she yelled in surprise. Her arm shot out to punch him—reflexes—but Apollo neatly dodged it with a grin.

"Morning sunshine!" he exclaimed.

Thalia blinked and then groaned, falling back onto the bed and turning on her stomach.

"What do you want?" she mumbled into the pillows.

"It's already 10:30, and breakfast ends at eleven!"

"And this concerns me how?"

"I'm starving!"

Thalia's eye twitched. _He's so whiny…he's like a little eight-year-old. _

"Then go eat."

"I was waiting for you so we could go _together_."

Thalia turned over onto her back and stared at him. She was embarrassed to find he was hovering over her, his hands supporting him on either side of her body. She blushed a deep red and shoved him off, sitting up.

"Fine then, we'll go eat," she mumbled, slipping out of bed. Apollo grinned at her, and Thalia just sighed, her neck still hot from embarrassment.

_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

Approximately ten minutes later, the two found themselves in the lobby where there was a huge buffet of breakfast foods: waffles, cereals, fruit, doughnuts, hash browns, etc. There were lots of tables—most of them vacant—and big flat screen TVs built into the walls. The floor was marble and the walls were wallpapered with a beige and green wallpaper.

"Woah." Apollo's brows were raised in disbelief.

"Yeah. Woah." Thalia repeated.

"Not as nice as Mount Olympus though."

"Nothing's as nice as Mount Olympus."

"This is true."

Thalia trudged over to the huge stack of plates and grabbed one and started walking through the line. As she stared at all the food and how delicious it looked, her stomach started to rumble. She licked her lips and began filling her plate with all her favorite breakfast foods. After grabbing a glass of orange juice, she went and sat down at a table by the wall.

She glanced up to find Apollo, but when she spotted him, she didn't know whether to laugh or glare at him. In the end, she ended up with a crossed expression of horror and humor.

Walking from the buffet line was Apollo with a plate in each hand a third one balancing on his forearm. He was slowly maneuvering his way around the tables and chairs to Thalia. He was staring intently at the plate on his arm, a look of pure concentration on his face. When he side-stepped between two chairs, the plate started tipping and Thalia bit back a laugh at the fear on Apollo's face before he balanced it out again, relief clearly shown on his face. After two more strides, he made it to the table safely, all of his food intact.

Thalia's lips twitched, fighting off a smile. "Wow," she just said. "Enough food there?" she asked sarcastically, eating a piece of toast.

"Probably not. I might have to go back and get more," he replied, dead serious.

Thalia blinked.

As they ate in silence, Thalia's mind started to wonder (ADHD did that to you). In the background, she vaguely heard a weather report on the TV in the corner.

"_Last night it snowed an extra three inches. Streets are going to be difficult to drive through, so please proceed with caution…"_

She heard Apollo groan and she looked at him, brow raised.

"So much damn snow…" he mumbled. "Why can't it be summer year round?"

Thalia just decided to ignore his complaining. She was pretty sure she would hear more of it throughout their time together.

"We should go to Rockefeller Center today and ice-skate," he suddenly suggested.

"I thought you hated snow?" Thalia asked.

"Well…yeah…but ice-skating is fun!"

Thalia grimaced. She disagreed completely.

"Don't tell me," Apollo started, seeing the look on her face. "You don't like ice-skating?"

"No, I don't."

Apollo blinked at her blunt reply.

"Why not?"

"Because you glide on ice. How is that fun? If you fall, you could seriously hurt yourself. It's just ridiculous."

Apollo huffed, but then stared at her. "We're going ice-skating. Nothing you say or do could stop us. Well, I mean, there is _one_ thing we could do instead…" He grinned suggestively.

Thalia glared and whacked him across the head. "Oh, grow up!" she growled, standing up and stomping away from him to their room.

* * *

Apollo came up to their room ten minutes later to find Thalia cleaning her bow.

"Can we pleeeeease go ice-skating?" Apollo pleaded.

Thalia stopped and sighed. "I'll go ice-skating if you do two things for me."

Apollo, eyes wide, nodded enthusiastically. "What?"

"First off, stop complaining about the snow. It's getting annoying."

Apollo glared at her slightly, but nodded. "And?"

She stared hard at him. "Tell me why Lady Artemis is at Olympus with Zeus. Something's going on, and I want to know."

Apollo narrowed his eyes at her and stared at her. "Well, you're definitely perceptive. But I don't know anything."

He was obviously lying. "Don't lie to me Apollo. I know you know what's going on. Why won't you tell me?"

He sighed a little angrily. "Because it's none of your concern."

The harshness in his voice caused her to reel back. She didn't know he could get so upset. It scared her.

She swallowed down the bit of guilt she felt and took a deep breath. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He nodded. "Me too." Then he smiled. "Now let's go ice-skating!"

* * *

Thalia sighed as she and Apollo stood before the crowded ice rink in Rockefeller Center. She saw lots of couples holding hands, some people by themselves, and a few people leaping and twirling around.

She would be lucky if she could skate ten feet, because not only did she hate ice-skating, she sucked at it too.

"You promised," Apollo reminded her after seeing her look of distaste.

She glared up at him in response. "Well you didn't exactly hold up your end of our little deal."

He shifted around uncomfortably, choosing to just change the subject. "Yes well…let's just get skating, shall we?"

He then stepped onto the ice and skated off, leaving her alone and to tread for herself.

"Apollo!" she hissed. He just chuckled and twirled around before skating off some more.

She groaned. _He's one of _those_ people,_ she thought. _The type of person who shows off and laughs at us people who can't even skate in a straight line. _

She swallowed and called on what pride she had left and stepped onto the ice. Her legs wobbled, but thankfully Apollo had tied her skates tight enough that her ankles would stay sturdy and not bend outwards.

"Come on, Thalia," Apollo called, skating by her. "Relax and have fun for once!"

She glared at him. "I know how to have fun. This is _not_ fun."

Keeping one arm on the wall, she slowly tried to skate, moving at a snail's pace.

Apollo appeared once again, skating backwards beside her. "I can tell you don't skate."

She glared at him. "Shut up. And would you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Skating backwards. It's really ticking me off."

He grinned at her and swiftly turned around, skating the right way again. She rolled her eyes.

After a few more minutes of skating, she finally took her hand off the wall. Her legs shook slightly as she started gliding slowly on the ice.

"Getting the hang of it finally?" Apollo asked from behind her.

Thalia turned around to tell him off, but the turning caused her to become off-balance and her feet slipped beneath her. She fell backwards with a yelp, but was thankfully caught by Apollo's arms around her waist.

She blushed as he chuckled down at her. "I guess not."

Thalia just kept on blushing.

After a while of skating (well, Apollo was the only skating. Thalia just quit after her near-fall), the two decide to quit and go walk around. They walked down quite a few random streets, and all the while, Thalia's mind was busy with thoughts.

She still wanted to know what was happening on Olympus. She wanted to know why Apollo wasn't telling her. Was it really that serious? And why was Apollo so defensive about it? From his reaction, she could tell that this problem was making him pretty upset.

She sighed. She needed to find out what was going on, sooner rather than later.

They continued to walk in silence. Just then it hit Thalia that Christmas was only a few days away.

"Crap," she said. "I need to go shopping." She shuddered as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Ugh, shopping.

"For Christmas you mean?" Apollo asked.

Thalia nodded, and the two changed course for a mall. As they approached the large building of a mall, Thalia realized that this was the perfect place to ditch someone.

She smirked to herself and turned on Apollo. "I'm also buying a present for you." She wasn't sure if that was a lie or not yet. "So you need to leave me alone." And then, just like that, she stalked off into the mall and got lost in the crowds of people.

Inside the mall, it was busy as hell. Stores were packed with their "amazing" deals and sales and people were crammed in the food court. There were about fifty different Santas, each one looking heftier than the last.

Thalia made her way through different stores, buying gifts for her friends in the Hunters and at Camp. She had spent about an hour or so in the mall already and she had only found a few things, since most of the things she wanted to get would have to be specially made (she'd have to talk Apollo into getting this stuff for her). In the end, she decided that she would get something for Apollo. And she knew exactly what she was getting him.

Her plan from earlier still in mind, she tried to sneak out of the mall without being found. She didn't even know where he had gone to.

She stepped out of the mall and looked down the streets, Apollo nowhere in sight. She smiled slightly and started making her way down a street. Suddenly, she felt someone fall in step with her.

Her eye twitched as Apollo said, "Did you get your shopping done?"

Was there really a point? Was it even possible to ditch a god? Apparently it was, because he always found her.

Thalia sighed. _What's the use?_ She thought. "Yeah," she replied. "I did."

"That's good. So, are you hungry?"

It wasn't worth the energy to try and ditch Apollo. He would always find her.

"Yeah, actually. I am."

Maybe instead of fighting this situation, she should try to make the best of it. Who knows? She may just have a good time. He wasn't always so bad.

They went to a restaurant and had some food, Thalia's presents securely by her side. They ate and talked about lots of things: Camp, the Hunters, Olympus, but they never touched on the subject of Artemis.

Afterwards, they walked back to the hotel where Thalia collapsed on the bed. Apollo smiled wryly as her breathing slowly evened out. When she was asleep, the smile fell off his face as he sighed and dematerialized to Mt. Olympus.

Neither would actually admit it out loud, but they both had fun that day.

* * *

**So, Apollo has snuck off to Mt. Olympus...hmmm...and they had a "moment" when he caught her from falling! :D**

**Review please and thanks for reading!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	5. Day Four

**Update! Yay! You guys have been bugging me about my slow updates, but I plan to change that! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day Four**

_Crackle, crackle, crunch._

Thalia, who was buried under two massive blankets, cracked an eye open. The room was lit up with light, and she realized it was morning already. She remembered yesterday's events and how she had decided to stop trying to ditch Apollo. Besides the fact that it was close to impossible to ditch a god, she actually had fun the previous day.

_Crunch, crackle, crunch._

She shifted around and yawned. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she stared at the source of the noise. Across from her bed was a coffee table, and sitting on the couch was Apollo. Beside him was a box with tissue paper in it.

"Morning, Thalia," Apollo spoke without looking at her. He was bent over doing something by his feet, but Thalia couldn't see what.

"Uh…morning," she replied, still half-asleep. She took in his appearance; he was wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a white jacket. His sun-kissed blonde hair was tousled in a way that would make most women swoon. His face, though…he looked troubled, like something was really bothering. From this angle, she could see his eyebrows were knit together and his mouth was turned down in a slight frown. His dark green eyes were looking at whatever he was doing by his feet, but they were a thousand miles away.

But then, like the weather, it changed it quickly. Suddenly, his eyebrows smoothed out and he had a smile on his face.

"There," he said. He stood up and walked around the table. "Check it. Aren't they awesome?"

He pointed down to his feet, so Thalia looked down and blinked. He had on a new pair of shoes. They were black Nikes, with neon green, orange, pink, and yellow patches and black laces. Thalia personally thought they looked silly, but after glancing up at Apollo, who was grinning proudly at her, she couldn't help but smile. They were definitely something the sun god would wear.

"Oh, they're awesome alright," Thalia agreed. She shook her head, a small smile still on her face. "Where did you even find those at?"

"I did a little shopping myself yesterday. They have some pretty wicked stores here."

Thalia mulled over that as she got up and stretched. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" She was actually a little excited for today.

"Well I don't know about you," Apollo started, "but I'm staying inside."

"Why?"

"Major snowstorm is supposed to hit today. I refuse to go outside. Do you know what damage that could do to my hair?" He asked seriously, pointing to his hair.

Thalia rolled her eyes and made her way to the bathroom, calling him something along the lines of 'wimp.'

Apollo heard her, but he didn't say anything. Once he heard the shower going, he went to the other bathroom and opened the window blinds, letting the light stream in. His face looked grim and serious as he locked the door and started up the shower. When the light hit the water, the mist created a faint rainbow. Apollo pulled out a golden drachma.

"Show me Artemis," he simply said. Almost immediately, an image of Artemis talking to Zeus came up. There was also another woman with them. She had green eyes like Apollo and long, flowing, dirty-blonde hair.

_Mom_.

Suddenly, Artemis stopped and sighed. She turned towards the Iris-message and asked, "What, Apollo?"

"I wanted to know if anything has changed since last night," he spoke.

"No, not that we know of. Besides, it isn't any of your business."

Apollo mulled that over. He glared at her. "I helped kill them. At least I had the guts to finish them off."

Artemis glared back and then turned her back to him. "She was _supposed_ to be spared," she called back.

"You two, stop it," his mom, Leto, spoke. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Hera knew she was here with Zeus… "But Artemis is right. She was the spare. We just never thought she would come back for revenge."

"We thought she'd be too scared, especially since I killed her father," Zeus spoke.

Meanwhile, Thalia, who had finished her shower and was dressed, stood outside of the locked bathroom door, her ear pressed up against the door. Either Apollo really was insane and he was talking to himself, or he was Iris-messaging someone.

Like his sister.

Then Thalia heard Apollo say, "We have to stop her, Artemis."

So, he _was_ talking to her, about their problem no less.

"You mean _I_ have to stop her. This isn't your fight Apollo. Stay out of it, and don't come back to Olympus again." And with that, she swiped her hand through the image.

Apollo glared at the spot where the image had been for a minute before shutting the water off.

Thalia quickly—yet quietly—backed away from the door and sprinted back into her own bathroom.

The conversation she had heard ran through her head.

"…_At least I had the guts to finish them off."_

Who did he kill? Why did he kill them? Or, just as important, who was coming for revenge?

Her heart beating wildly, she listened as Apollo walked to the bathroom door and knocked, calling, "Thalia?"

She calmly opened the door, trying to look normal. "I'm done," she said, her voice even.

He smiled. "So, what do you want to do?"

Thalia let out a breath. She hadn't gotten caught. "Hmm…it's not snowing yet. Want to get some coffee?"

He nodded. "I can show off my new kicks!"

Thalia rolled her eyes and pulled on her coat and mittens. Once Apollo had his (probably designer) coat and scarf on, they stepped out in the hall, to the elevator, and out the door. Once they stepped outside, they were hit with a blast of ice-cold wind. Thalia shivered and automatically stepped closer to Apollo, a source of warmth.

"O-okay," Thalia stuttered, her teeth chattering from the cold. "A-after this, w-we're staying i-inside."

Apollo just shivered in agreement.

They had to walk a couple blocks to get to Starbucks. On the way there, they passed by a park with a large pond that was already frozen over. There were a few kids near the swing set in snow clothes, trying to build a snowman.

Thalia pulled her coat tighter around her as the wind blew at their faces. They walked down Manhattan with the other cold patrons of New York, who were just as ruffled about the weather as she was. Thalia glanced up at Apollo. His expression was grim and he was unusually quiet. It was probably because of that conversation he had with his sister.

There had also been another voice. A woman's. Thalia hadn't recognized it, but Apollo obviously knew who it was. Artemis had said not to come back to Olympus again…he had been with Thalia this whole time…at least, that she knew of. Had he gone to Olympus without her knowing?

This made her unusually upset. What was going on in Olympus?

After a few more minutes of thoughtful silence, they made it to Starbucks. Apollo opened the door for her and she was immediately blasted with warm air and the smell of delicious coffee. Thalia sighed with relief and Apollo said, "Thank gods we're here."

They went and ordered some coffee ("Double shot of caffeine for me," Apollo demanded) and sat down in a booth by the window.

Apollo took a sip and grinned. "Good ol' delicious caffeine. One of the best discoveries by the mortals."

Thalia nodded her agreement and sipped her mocha latte with extra whip cream.

"You know, truth be told," Apollo started, "I'm going to be sad when our time together ends."

Thalia sighed. "I will too."

Apollo stared at her. "I mean it, Thalia. You're…different then other girls. You're tough."

She shifted around uncomfortably. "Yeah well. Running away from an unloving mother and being turned into a tree by your own father will do that to you."

He shook his head. "No one deserves that fate. But you survived it. And look where you are now: a strong lieutenant Hunter for Artemis."

Thalia looked up at him in surprise. He was staring at her with a smile on his face.

But he was right. If she hadn't ran away and met Luke, if she hadn't sacrificed herself on Half-Blood hill, if she hadn't met Percy…she wouldn't be here. She'd probably still be a tree.

Apollo was one of the few people who could turn her past into a positive.

She smiled back for a second before averting her eyes outside, slightly embarrassed. As they fell into silence again, she thought back to the conversation between Apollo and his sister. Judging by his expression, so was he. He was glaring at his coffee, which was a big change from his smiling and positive personality just moments before.

His brooding demeanor bothered Thalia. His silence disturbed her greatly. Sure, she had wanted this ever since she was condemned to spending ten days with him, but, believe it or not, she had gotten used to his whining and bright personality. Now that he was going emo and pulling a complete one-eighty on her, she was rather concerned about him.

And, dammit, she'd rather have him be annoying and himself than eerily quiet. Because, while he was one of the more lenient gods, he still had one heck of a fury when he got mad. And maybe, if she asked the right questions, she could get him to tell her about Olympus.

"Apollo?" she asked. "You okay?"

He sighed and put on a grin. "Yeah, I'm fine. We should probably head back soon, though. The storm is going to start soon."

Thalia should have known it wouldn't be that easy. "And you know this for sure?"

"Of course. I'm a god."

Thalia rolled her eyes. There's one thing that hasn't changed.

But of course, Thalia complied and shrugged into her jacket and put her mittens back on. They stepped outside and immediately felt the freezing air. Thalia glanced up and saw that Apollo was right: the clouds were darkening, and soon they would have a blizzard on their hands.

As they were walking back to the hotel, Apollo started talking animatedly about a prank he had pulled on Aphrodite, gesturing wildly with his hands. Then, suddenly, they stepped on a patch of ice just as he whipped his hands up in the air. His foot slipped, and, with eyes wide in disbelief, he collapsed on the ice.

Thalia hadn't seen that one coming. Needless to say, she was gripping the side of building and clutching her stomach because she was laughing so hard.

Apollo groaned and stood up, rubbing his backside. He glared slightly at Thalia, who had calmed down immensely, but was still letting out a few laughs here and there.

"I'm sorry," she smiled. "That was just so…hilarious. I mean, it was unexpected."

Apollo blew away some hair that had fallen into his eyes. "You'd think I would have seen that, being an Oracle and everything."

Thalia laughed. "Well, it shouldn't hurt too bad. You are the god of medicine after all."

Apollo had to crack a smile at that.

They continued walking, and Apollo finished his story (though without his hazardous hand gestures). As they walked past the park with the pond, Thalia saw that the kids from before were now having a snowball fight. An idea sparking in her head, she turned to Apollo and asked, "Feel like a snowball fight?"

Apollo blinked. "Um, not really, no."

Thalia glared.

"I mean…sure. But uh, why the sudden idea?"

She pointed towards the kids and started walking to them. "It's been a while since I've had a good snowball fight." _And I can throw some snowballs at you for lying to me. _

Thalia and Apollo approached the kids. "Hey guys," Thalia spoke, smiling.

They looked up at her. "Hi?"

"Can we join you guys? The more numbers the better," Thalia smiled, persuading them with her logic to let them join in on the fight.

The kid looked at his friends and shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Thalia was pulled to one team and Apollo went to the other one. He wasn't too thrilled about getting all cold and wet, but he was doing this for Thalia.

The little kids looked up at him expectantly. "So, mister, got any battle plans?"

Apollo smirked. "Well, little kid, it just so happens that I _do._ So, here's how it's going to happen…"

They had limited space in the park, and they couldn't go on the ice because it was still too thin to walk on. But, somehow, they made it work. Thalia didn't really give them any strategic moves; she pulled two of the five aside and told them to pelt and only pelt her friend.

"But what if one of our friends is wide open?" they questioned.

"Never go for the obvious target," she said mysteriously. "It could be a trap."

And thus, the war started. It was a simple open-field war, no walls, no hills or snow mounds to dive behind. Thalia smirked as her new buddies did as she said and pelted Apollo with messy snowballs. She bent down and scooped up some snow and formed a snowball. With deadly precision, she threw it and it smacked Apollo in the face.

_Score!_ She thought triumphantly.

Apollo calmly wiped away the snow from his face. He was now freezing cold, and he was pretty sure his hair was now ruined. Some snow had dripped down his shirt, making him even more disgruntled. He scanned the battle field and saw the kids had given up on them and were now just fighting each other. He found Thalia leaping through the snow away from him, glancing back and smirking at him.

He smirked back and started advancing on her, but then they heard it.

The inevitable _crack_.

Apollo looked on in horror as Thalia stuttered to a halt. She felt her heart sink to her stomach as the ice on the pond started cracking. She hadn't realized she had stepped onto it. She froze where she was at, but her weight was too much for the ice to handle, and she fell through the ice.

"Thalia!" Apollo yelled, sprinting to the pond.

The icy water made her feel like she was being stabbed with a thousand pins. It came as such a shock to Thalia that she let out a gasp, causing water to rush into her lungs. She struggled to get to the surface, but she could barely move her feet. She started losing consciousness, and her thrashing lessened as the life was sucked out of her. She may have been immortal, but that didn't mean she could breathe underwater.

Apollo was at the ice now. He was on his stomach as he thrust his hand into the ice-cold water and grabbed Thalia's wrist. He pulled her up out of the water and into his arms. Using his godly powers, he zapped them back to their hotel room where they were immediately hit with the warmth.

Thalia, being able to breathe again, suddenly regained her senses. On the floor in Apollo's arms, she keeled over and coughed up the water that had filled her lungs. She started shivering violently and her teeth chattered noisily against each other.

"Thank gods you're alright," Apollo sighed. "We need to get you warmed up."

He went and got a few blankets and wrapped them around her. Then, he asked, "Do you trust me?"

Thalia just shivered. "I-I g-g-guess. W-why—"

She was cut off when Apollo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She blushed a bit, but shivered from the sudden warmth.

"It'll help you get warm faster," Apollo explained. Thalia could just hear the grin in his voice.

"You p-probably j-just used it a-as an excuse t-to h-hit on m-me," Thalia replied, smirking slightly.

"I'll admit that was part of it."

"J-jackass."

Apollo chuckled. He would take it.

Thalia smiled. Her shivering was dying down immensely. Despite herself, she welcomed his warmth and nestled into his chest. Apollo's arms tightened around her. Nothing else was said as, outside, the snow storm finally hit.

The rest of the day had been spent in the hotel room. Once Thalia had warmed up, she decided to take a shower. However, before she got in, she went to her bag and rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. Then, she glanced into the main room to make sure Apollo was there. And he was. He was lounging on the couch, watching TV.

Thalia snuck back into the bathroom and locked the door. Light from the window poured in and caused a rainbow to appear in the mist. Thalia flipped the golden drachma.

"Annabeth Chase, Camp Half-Blood, please."

Seconds later, Annabeth's image appeared in the mist. She was currently in her cabin doing something on her laptop. After a minute, she noticed the image and blinked. "Thalia? Is that you?"

Thalia smiled a bit. "Yeah, it's me."

"What…why…where are you?"

"Manhattan." She then proceeded to explain how she ended up with Apollo.

"Well I definitely don't envy you. So…what's the problem now?"

"I need to ask you something. About Apollo."

"Like…centuries ago?"

"Yeah. Do you know anything about Apollo killing people?"

"I can, uh…check into it. Why are you asking me about his, anyways?"

Thalia held a grim look on her face. "Because I'm pretty sure someone's out to get him."

* * *

**Some drama, a little fluff, humor...I liked this. And maybe you did to?**

**Anyways, I re-read the part in Titan's Curse where Thalia drives Apollo's sun chariot...I swear I cracked up for ten minutes. **

**Thanks for reading and please, please, please review!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	6. Day Five

**Fast update. More drama gets into this chapter. Just a note-this story is going past the ten days period. The whole 'ten days' was originally the main plot, but then I had this idea (which you'll find out more about) and I decided to continue a little more past the ten days, because technically, what I have planned all revolves around their ten days spent together. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE AT END OF STORY!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day Five**

Thalia awoke that morning with a troubled mind. She hadn't gotten any Z's last night. The conversation between herself and Annabeth last night was still weighing heavily on her mind.

_Annabeth typed away at her computer for a few minutes. Thalia knew she needed to hurry up. She knew Apollo would get suspicious if she "stayed in the shower" for much longer._

"_Oh, now I remember…" Annabeth suddenly spoke. _

"_What? Did you find something?" Thalia asked. _

"_Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it's the answer to your question. Okay, so once there was this daughter of Tantalus, Niobe, and she boasted to Apollo's mom, Leto, that she had fourteen children—seven sons and daughters each—while Leto only had two—Apollo and Artemis. She didn't take it too well, and her pride made her have Apollo and Artemis kill Niobe's children. Apollo killed her sons, and Artemis killed her daughters."_

"_That's…disgusting."_

"_But not surprising. They did spare one of the child, though. The daughter called Meliboea. She changed her name to Chloris—the pale one—because she supposedly turned permanently pale from the whole experience and from Zeus killing her father."_

_Thalia let that sink in. So he _had_ killed them. And Artemis, too, just because their mother was insulted. _

"_Thanks, Annabeth. You don't know how much this helps."_

"_You're welcome. But, uh…is something going on? Why are you asking me this?"_

_Thalia wanted to, but if she stayed much longer, Apollo would come after her. "I'll explain later. I have to go." And with that, she swiped the mist._

Thalia sat in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The information she was presented with kept replaying in her mind. The scary part was she could picture Artemis and Apollo killing those kids. She remembered the few bits she had heard from Apollo's conversation with Artemis. They had mentioned "her coming for revenge" and how they didn't think she would've because Zeus "killed her father."

Was this Meliboea chick coming for Artemis and Apollo?

Thalia sat up and scanned the room for Apollo. He was standing at the window, his deep green eyes glaring outside. His blonde hair was rumpled in that model/god-like way, and he was wearing his colorful sneakers again.

Thalia remembered a time when she had thought he was hot.

Not that that thought changed.

The truth was, Thalia thought Apollo was very attractive. And after the first few days of her ten days with him, she realized that he was so very different from what she originally thought. Granted, she hadn't been wrong about that assumption (he could be immature and obnoxious sometimes), but she had also found out that he had a serious side, as well as a caring and understanding side. But, on the downside, she had found out that he wasn't very pleasant when he got mad.

She got up and stretched. It wasn't that she hated Apollo. She had never hated him. In fact, she quite liked him. He was a pretty cool guy when you got past the smartass jokes and innuendos.

Thalia walked over and stood beside Apollo, who was still glaring outside. He shifted on his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Morning," he greeted his usual greeting, his voice gruff.

"Hey," Thalia replied, staring out the window. It took her a moment to realize what he was glaring at, and she cracked a laugh.

Apollo briefly glared down at her before returning his stare outside.

"Are you seriously brooding about what I think you are?" Thalia questioned sarcastically.

"It's not funny," Apollo grunted. "This is _horrible_."

Outside, it was a complete whiteout. The snow storm had gotten worse, and the streets were completely covered in snow and ice. The sky was that white-ish gray that it usually was in winter. Snow was blowing around furiously in the air.

Thalia continued to smile as she patted his arm. "You seriously need to get over your issues with snow. Besides, it's not like we're going outside or anything."

"But it's still _there_."

Thalia rolled her eyes. She turned and went to the main room and plopped on the couch. They obviously weren't going anywhere. She was going to be stuck here with him. All day.

Her heart did a silly little flip-flop at that, but at the same time her stomach clenched. She had a bad feeling about today.

Apollo meandered over and sat down in the chair across from her. He took in her appearance: her tousled hair, the small smirk on her face, her lithe body. Her skin was pale, probably from her "swim" yesterday.

Both Apollo and Thalia thought back to that incident yesterday. Thalia was so glad Apollo had been there to save her. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to get out otherwise.

Apollo himself had pretty much experienced a heart attack when he had seen Thalia slip through the ice. He barely even remembered sprinting to her, or pulling her out. All he remembered was thinking that he had to get to her, and quick. He only knew he was hoping she would be all right.

"Um, Apollo?"

"Yeah?"

Pause. "Thanks for saving me yesterday."

He looked up into Thalia's shocking blue eyes, his stomach fluttering with butterflies.

Maybe she didn't realize it. Maybe she didn't know how much she was changing him. Maybe she was still oblivious about how much he had changed since being around her. Something about her…it just made him want to be different. He _wanted_ to change. For her.

He grinned, showing his alarmingly white teeth. "No problem." He wasn't about to mention the scare she had given him. He didn't want to scare her away.

He wanted to tell her that she was amazing. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, inside and out (as corny as it might sound). He wanted to get out all of these things he was feeling and thinking about. But he couldn't. If he did, she would more than likely get scared and run, cutting their time together short. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her.

When Thalia locked eyes with the sun god, she had the urge to confess that she knew what was going on in Olympus. She also had the urge to tell him…well, that he wasn't so bad. That she actually liked being around him.

Instead, she swallowed and looked away. Apollo looked away as well. He needed to stop these thoughts before they became words. One word of any of it, and it was over.

"So…" Thalia mumbled awkwardly.

"So…" Apollo repeated. "Uh…want to play cards?"

Thalia blinked as he suddenly pulled out a full deck of cards and held them up.

Well what else were they supposed to do?

"Sure."

-Five minutes later—

"Have any queens?"

"Go fish."

"Damn."

Apollo, who was lying on the floor with his feet on the couch, grumbled and reached up on the coffee table to grab a card.

Thalia was also sprawled on the floor, only she was on her stomach, facing Apollo. She sighed to herself. This was definitely something she'd never thought would happen: playing go fish with an Olympian in a hotel room in Manhattan while it froze over outside.

Fun. Just plain fun.

In all seriousness, though, it actually was pretty fun. It was nice to just relax after the first four days of "escorting" Apollo around.

Thalia started to wonder about the Hunters. She hadn't really thought about them all week, considering she was busy with other matters, but now that her mind wandered to them, she wondered how they were holding up without Artemis or herself. She hoped Olivia had everything under control.

Apollo sighed. "I'm bored."

"Already?"

"Yes. Already." He decided to ignore her patronizing tone.

"Well then what do you want to do?"

"Well…" Apollo smirked. "We could play strip poker…"

Thalia's eye twitched. "No thank you."

He laughed and rolled over onto his stomach, facing her with his head on his arms. He grinned at her. "You sure?"

"Positive." Thalia couldn't help but smile a bit as she studied his face. "You know what sounds really good?" she suddenly asked.

"Hmm?"

"Hot chocolate."

He nodded, and then snapped his fingers. Suddenly appearing in front of them was two cups of hot chocolate, both with extra marshmallows and a dollop of whip cream.

"Cheers," he toasted, grabbing a mug and waiting for her to grab hers.

Thalia blinked, but then smiled and grabbed her cup, clanking her glass with his. "Cheers."

She took a long drink. It was just the right amount of chocolate, and it wasn't boiling hot like most hot chocolate was.

"Yummy," she sighed, sitting up against the couch. Apollo sat next to her, just close enough that she could feel his body heat emanate onto her. She glanced up absentmindedly at the clock and saw it was two in the afternoon already.

"Oh my gods," she suddenly cried. "What…when did I wake up?"

Apollo blinked at her sudden outburst. "Uh, around twelve-thirty. Why?"

"I just…hadn't realized I had slept so late. It surprised me."

"It was from yesterday when you…fell through the ice."

She shivered slightly from the memory, but then nodded in understanding.

A thoughtful silence fell over them, but then Apollo spoke.

"You know," he started, tracing his finger around the rim of his mug, "I'm just really glad you're okay. When you slipped through the ice…it scared me."

Apollo quickly shut himself up before he said anything else. He looked down at Thalia and found her staring at her hot chocolate.

She could feel his gaze on her and she looked up at him, his face showing nothing but the truth. He wasn't just saying it because it was the thing to say. He was saying it because he meant it.

Thalia felt her heart do a relay race. "I'm glad you were there to save me."

She smiled up at him, and he smiled back. His heart beat unevenly as he stared at her lips and slowly leaned in. Thalia only mildly realized what he was about to do. She wasn't necessarily against kissing him…

She felt her heart skip a beat and make up for it in double time when his lips landed on hers. She responded to him and her hand not holding her cup slid up his chest to hook around his neck.

Apollo couldn't believe she was actually kissing him back. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, making the kiss deeper.

But then, like someone had smacked her across the face, Thalia realized what she was doing.

And she freaked.

She suddenly lurched back, spilling hot chocolate on the floor and on Apollo's jeans a bit. He didn't notice. He just stared at her, his eyes glazed over. But then they focused, and he realized what he had done.

Earlier, he hadn't wanted his thoughts to become words. Instead, they became actions.

"Oh, shit. Thalia, I'm so sorry," he stuttered, setting the cup on the coffee table. "I didn't…I mean I wasn't…"

Thalia barely heard him as she tried to register what just happened.

"I…um…sorry."

She set her cup down and then stood up and rushed away from him into the bathroom. Once she closed the door behind her, she slid down to the floor, her legs shaking terribly.

She had just kissed Apollo. _Apollo_.

Yeah, sure, it had been nice. She hadn't really wanted to break away from him. She had wanted to keep kissing him, to show him that, well…she _cared_ about him.

_I _do_ care about him_, she thought.

But as much as she wished she could go back out there and explain, she couldn't. After all, she had made a promise to Artemis.

But that promise was now broken.

Apollo tugged at his hair helplessly. He was still sitting on the ground against the couch. He couldn't believe he had done that. He was a bit disgusted with himself. He liked her. That much was obvious. But that didn't mean he could go around kissing her, especially since she was his sister's lieutenant.

Oh _gods_ what had he done?

He needed to leave. He needed to get away and think, and to also let Thalia sort out her emotions. It would be for the best. As much as he wanted to stay and talk to her and apologize endlessly, he knew she needed to figure some things out on her own.

Hours later, when Thalia came out, she found that Apollo was gone. She wasn't surprised, but that didn't stop the sudden swell of emotion from rising in her, threatening to make her hysterical. But she swallowed hard and bit her lip, determined to keep her cool, even though there was no one around.

Even though she wanted to cry.

* * *

**Sad face. Not good. But the PLOT THICKENS! Muwahahaha!**

**Anyways, IMPORTANT NOTE! I have started a forum (there is a link on my profile) where you, my lovely readers, can give/discuss ideas, plots, pairings, etc. for a story, and I will post a one-shot (or multiple if need be). I want to know what you guys want to read. I wanted to see how this would work out, hopefully well, so if you want me to write something (any pairing), go to the forum!**

**Also, if any of you are interested, I wrote a Percabeth one-shot last night called Holding Your Hand. Go check it out if you want a little fluff :D**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	7. Day Six Part One

**So I made this into two segments because I wanted to get this out since it's been a while since I've updated. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Day Six (Part One)**

_How could I let this happen?_

Apollo was sitting on an icy, slippery rock on the edge of Long Island Sound, staring at the frozen water. He'd rather be sitting somewhere warm, but right now he was miserable. He was so upset with himself for kissing Thalia. Sitting on the ice rock was a small form of torture for him, and he was willing to take it.

He just couldn't believe he had been so stupid. He had let his emotions and feelings take over for one second, and look what happened. He lost the girl he truly cared for.

Thalia…she had changed him. She was spunky. She was witty. She was _different_. It was refreshing to see. And he wanted to date her. He wanted to change _for her._ He wanted to shape up his act _for her_.

He wasn't sure what she had done to him. There was just something charming about her that entranced him. Whenever they talked (the few times that they actually did), she was always witty and on her toes, firing back whenever he teased her.

Was it her black hair and shockingly blue eyes that captivated him each time he looked into her eyes? Whenever he saw those bright blue eyes, he couldn't stop staring. He felt like he was falling forever whenever he was caught in them.

Or, he shuddered to think it, what if the reason was a bit darker? What if the only reason he wanted her was because he couldn't have her? She is (or _was_) part of the Hunters—his _sister's_ lieutenant, nevertheless. She had sworn an oath from boys. He found her so attractive, inside and out…did he just want her _because_ he couldn't have her?

Whatever the reason, she had changed him greatly. He didn't want to date women and fall in love with them only to leave them with a kid nine months later. He only wanted one girl now. He only wanted to fall in love with Thalia.

And he had. He had fallen in love with her.

It scared him shitless whenever he admitted this fact. Yes, he had loved the women he had impregnated. He loved all his kids, even if he didn't get to show it that often.

But what he was feeling for Thalia was different. It was so much stronger, so much more heart-wrenching. He loved her more than anything. It was only this week that he had really realized this. It scared him so much because he was afraid of hurting her. He was afraid of messing up and completely losing her.

_Looks like you've done just that,_ he reprimanded himself, thinking about their kiss from yesterday.

He hadn't meant to do it. Honestly, he hadn't. His emotions just sort of…took over. He kissed her, and…it was amazing. Her lips were so soft and _she had kissed him back_.

That was a sign, right?

Apollo sighed. Who was he kidding? How could she love him when she had her Hunters?

That's what made him so angry, so bitter about the whole situation.

He had fallen for the one girl that would probably never return his affection.

Thalia was shaking. She could still feel his lips on hers. She could still feel a lingering feeling in the pit of her stomach from when they kissed, a feeling that made her quiver.

She was sitting on the couch with her legs pulled to her chest. Her lips still burned from Apollo's kiss the day before. She had felt a spark in her stomach. Her heart had fluttered sporadically and her hands had quivered immensely.

But as much as she enjoyed it, she knew it was wrong. She had made a promise to Artemis. She couldn't date boys.

Her question was this: since she kissed Apollo, did that mean she wasn't a Hunter anymore? She didn't feel any different. Wouldn't Artemis know if something like this happened? But then again, she was probably busy with whatever was going on in Olympus.

Thalia was so scared. She wasn't sure what was going to happen. She could feel herself falling for Apollo, and that scared her even more. She couldn't allow herself to fall for him.

But maybe it was too late. She wasn't really sure.

The very first time Thalia met Apollo was when she was on a quest with Percy, Zoe, and Bianca to go rescue Annabeth. She had met him, and of course she had thought he looked hot (honestly, that was still true). She had even driven his chariot across the sky. Thinking back on it, he hadn't been that bad.

She didn't know what happened. The next time she saw him, when she was part of the Hunters, he was a completely different person. Maybe she just hadn't seen the real side of him. Either way, he was totally different—witty, sarcastic, flirty...

Her opinion of him changed instantly. She then thought he was immature and childish.

But after this past week…she saw him in a different light. Yes, he was witty. Yes, he was flirty. Yes, he was immature. But, and she couldn't believe she was admitting it, she liked his personality. She _liked_ him. Maybe even loved him.

The kiss had shaken her world completely. Now that she had a taste, she craved for it. She wanted to see him and kiss him.

But maybe that wouldn't be possible. Maybe whatever relationship they had was now completely shattered. This thought killed Thalia because she knew it was true.

As upset as Apollo was, he knew there were other matters he had to attend to. So, with a heavy heart, he headed to Olympus. When he arrived there, his sister and mother were in a pretty heated argument.

Artemis, who had been yelling at Leto, suddenly stopped and turned to glare at Apollo, who was standing there a bit sheepishly.

"Hey guys," Apollo weakly said.

Leto sighed. "Hello, Apollo."

Artemis didn't show as much mercy. "What in the _Hades_ are you doing here?"

Apollo's face hardened. "I came to help fight off Meliboea."

She narrowed her eyes. "You are supposed to be with Thalia. That's why I assigned her to you. So you would _stay away._"

Apollo felt a pang of hurt hit his chest and the mention of Thalia, but he covered up his expression and steeled his gaze at her. "I know. But this is my fight too."

Artemis stared at him, trying to figure out what he was hiding. "Did something happen?" she asked.

Apollo calmly answered, "What are you talking about?"

"You seem…angry, or something. Did something happen with Thalia?"

Apollo wasn't an idiot. He knew that if he mentioned anything about their kiss, Thalia's status as lieutenant Hunter would be in jeopardy. She would get kicked out of his sister's little group for sure. He didn't want to ruin her life anymore.

"No. Of course not," he lied.

She stared at him for a minute. He stared back just as harshly, trying to convince her that he wasn't hiding anything.

Finally, she relented her gaze and said, "Whatever. I still want you gone."

"_Why?_"

Artemis practically growled at him. "Because you make rash decisions! You don't think things through! This is my fight, so _stay out of it!_"

Apollo glared harshly at her. He had had one hell of a day yesterday, and he wasn't about to take his sister's crap anymore. "No. Let me stay and help."

"Apollo," Leto spoke. "Maybe it's for the best that you're gone."

Artemis nodded. "Yes. Go back to Thalia. You're wasting our time."

Artemis came forward and flicked his forehead hard. Apollo blinked a few times, but when he focused, he found he was back in the hotel room in Manhattan.

Apollo growled and punched the wall in frustration, creating a hold in the wall. Plaster crumbled down his arm to the floor. A silence fell around him and he calmly pulled his hand from the wall and turned to see the hotel was empty.

Thalia was gone.

Thalia felt like she was going crazy. She had never felt like this before, like all her nerves were frayed. She'd never felt so…broken.

She was walking through New York, trying to find a good place for lunch. Despite her depressed mood, she needed food. As she was walking down the street, she saw a flash of familiar blonde and felt her heart stutter.

_Apollo?_

She was greatly disappointed, though, when she realized it was just another New Yorker. She let out a shaky breath and clenched her teeth together.

_Stop it,_ she told herself. _You're just hurting yourself even more. Besides, how could you be in love with him? You've only been with him a few days._

She couldn't figure this out. She didn't understand how she had fallen in love with Apollo, who had only been with her for five days. It just didn't make sense.

Thalia picked a restaurant and stepped inside. She sat down and ordered her food. As she waited, she couldn't help but realize how lonely she was. She had become attached to his company.

She sighed. She hated feeling like this.

After eating her food, she trudge back to the hotel and entered the room. Her eyes spotted the whole in the wall and she blinked, confused. She walked up to it and realized it was the size of a fist.

She heard footsteps behind her and froze. She turned around and came face to face with Apollo.

Her heart stopped.

* * *

**:O Woah. Woah. Woah.**

**SO yeah. That's part one. Part two will come out sometime soon.**

**If you haven't heard, I made a forum where you can discuss ideas with me and you can tell me what you want to see and I'll do my best to write them. If you're interested, the link is on my page at the top. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Review please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	8. Day Six Part Two

**Here it is! Short, but filled with drama. You'll love me for about ten seconds, and then you'll wish I just crawl in a hole and die.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Day Six (Part Two)**

_After eating her food, she trudge back to the hotel and entered the room. Her eyes spotted the whole in the wall and she blinked, confused. She walked up to it and realized it was the size of a fist._

_She heard footsteps behind her and froze. She turned around and came face to face with Apollo._

_Her heart stopped. _

Thalia felt herself crumbling. She swallowed thickly as she stood before his scrutinizing gaze, unable to make eye contact with him. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage and her stomach was fluttering sporadically with butterflies. Her hands clenched at her sides. She licked her lips and said, "Apollo…w-where've you been?"

She glanced up at him and saw him looking at her still. She caught sight of his arm, which had some plaster on it. His knuckles were red and irritated. She blinked as she also caught sight of the wall.

_He did that? But why…?_

"I, uh...I've been around…" he finished lamely. "And I've been thinking."

Thalia felt a little weary now. She didn't like his tone of voice.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I did yesterday," Apollo apologized, taking a step towards her. His eyes were sad and his body was slouched.

Thalia didn't say anything. She just stared into his eyes as he continued. "I'm not exactly sure what happened…well, I do know, but I don't know why I acted like I did…" He was rambling now, and he couldn't stop it. "And I just acted on instinct because it felt like the right thing to do because, believe it or not, I'm in love with you, Thalia."

Thalia froze. Her heart sputtered and skipped a beat.

_He's in love with me…_

As it sunk in exactly what his words meant, Thalia felt her skin tingling warmly, but yet it felt like a cold hand was gripping her heart.

Thalia had never truly felt love. Her mother sure as hell didn't love her, and her father of the year either. Apollo was confessing that he loved her. She wasn't sure if this was what loved felt like (being sick to your stomach, your heart jumping for joy, your skin tingling with every sensation) but it felt good, because—and she couldn't believe she was admitting it—she was in love with him too.

However, she knew for sure that what she had to do was going to lead both of them to heartbreak, the most crushing thing that could happen to a person.

"And I know you probably aren't in love with me," Apollo continued, "because even though I am devilishly good-looking, I know you think I'm immature and annoying. And that might be a little true, but I just wanted you to know that I love you—"

Apollo was silenced as Thalia ran towards him and jumped into his arms and kissed him full on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips harder against his.

Apollo was shocked. He just stood there, eyes wide, his arms loosely holding her. Then, his mind caught up with reality and his arms tightened and he kissed her back. A tear ran Thalia's cheek as she remembered what she had to do.

Reluctantly, she pulled back. Another tear slipped down her cheek as Apollo set her on her feet.

"Thalia?" he asked incredulously. "What…why are you crying?"

She sniffed and wiped away her tears embarrassingly. "I-I love you too, Apollo. I do. I never thought I would because you _are_ immature. But I _like_ it. You're funny and sweet and charming…"

Apollo smiled, but it fell when he saw the look on her face. "But…?"

"But…I belong with the Hunters." She felt a sob threaten to break free when she saw the hurt look on his face. "It would never work out between us, Apollo. Maybe we should just…go our separate ways."

Apollo let go of her and slowly took a step back. The anguish was apparent on his face, even as he stared at his feet. Thalia wanted to take back what she had just said. She wanted to just stay in his arms and hold him and just be with him. But she knew this was the right thing. She knew she had to leave him. She made a promise to Artemis, and besides, it wouldn't have worked out. He would eventually find another girl to love.

Apollo had a million thoughts running through his head at once.

_She loves me. She doesn't want to be with me. She kissed me. She wants to leave._

He wasn't sure what to feel. He was so afraid that she would completely hate him, but maybe that would've been better than feeling so much…hurt and pain. He never thought she would return his affections. And he definitely never thought she'd be…well, dumping him.

_She made a promise to Artemis._ This was what killed him. She _did_ deserve to be with the Hunters. She shouldn't be held back by him. She deserved better.

So, Apollo, with a heavy heart and a feeling like he was going to throw up, steeled his gaze and looked up at her, hiding all his emotions.

"If that's what you want," he muttered. "I…understand."

Thalia's heart fell even further. She was halfway hoping he would reject her offer and refuse to let her go. But that was wishful thinking. She knew that he wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to.

She swallowed and nodded. Apollo sighed. This was the part that hurt the most.

"I'll take you to the Hunters," Apollo said, looking at anything but her.

Before Thalia could say anything, he snapped his fingers and she was in a familiar location. Snow was on the ground and tents were set up everywhere with wolves surround them. Thankfully, she was dressed in warm clothes. She looked around and found Apollo was nowhere in sight.

He was gone. Probably for good.

Thalia's knees were weak as she found the main tent and entered it. Olivia, who had watched over the Hunters, looked up in surprise. "T-Thalia?" she stuttered.

Thalia collapsed in the tent as a few tears ran down her cheek.

"Thalia!" Olivia exclaimed as she rushed to her friend. "Thalia, what's wrong? What happened?"

"He's gone," she answered emotionlessly. She looked up into Olivia's worried eyes and spilled about everything that had happened. When she was done, Olivia looked weary.

"Thalia, I'm so sorry." Silence, then… "You have to tell Artemis."

Thalia's eyes widened. She knew that if she told her, her days as a Huntress were done. But it was the right thing to do. Thalia nodded, and Olivia just sighed.

That night, as Thalia was trying to sleep (but failing epically), she couldn't help but think about what would've happened if she had stayed with Apollo.

Well, she'd probably be happy and in love. Instead she was depressed and heartbroken.

She already regretted leaving him.

* * *

**SAAAAD! I bet you all hate me. But it'll be worth it in the end!**

**Speaking of end, I just want to remind everyone that this story will go on past the ten days. The ten days is just the major point of the story.**

**Thanks for reading and REVIEW PLEASE!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	9. Day Seven

**Warning: this segment is very drama-filled. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Day Seven**

_**Christmas Eve**_

It was Christmas Eve, and Thalia awoke feeling like crap. Her body felt exhausted and her head was throbbing. But that pain was nothing compared to the pain of her heartbreak. Her heart felt like it had been shattered and stepped on and then clumsily taped back together. She felt so…broken.

She hated feeling like this. She hated feeling so vulnerable. She felt like an open book, like people could see through her and know what she was feeling. She didn't like people being able to read her. She was known for hiding her emotions and being the stable person. She wasn't known for showing her feelings, especially about a boy. Hell, she never had a boy to worry about before Apollo. She had loved Luke, but in an admiring way, and her love for Percy was that of a brother.

Apollo had been different. Apollo had been the guy that had stolen her heart. He had shown what real love was, what it meant to care for someone. The only reason she let him go was the Hunters. If she hadn't been a part of them, she would have easily accepted his love.

She sighed and fought off the feelings of anguish and hurt, putting on her emotionless mask. She needed to build back up her walls. She needed to act like nothing had happened. However…

She did need to talk to Apollo. She knew it was going to kill her to see him again, but she needed to speak with him about Olympus.

Thalia got dressed and put on her scarf, coat, and mittens. She grabbed her bow and stepped outside, only to find Olivia and the other hunters surrounding their Mistress, Artemis.

Thalia froze in her spot and stared at the goddess, who held an expression of calmness. But Thalia knew that underneath the surface lurked tension.

Suddenly, Artemis turned and spotted Thalia and stared into her eyes, her gaze steely and unwavering.

Thalia's heart pounded, her mind going back to her and Apollo's kiss. She felt a stab of hurt and winced slightly, covering it up before Artemis could register it.

"Lady Artemis," Thalia bowed, her voice quivering with fear. _She's here to tell me off. She's here to kick me out. _

"Thalia…are you all right? You seem…tense."

Thalia stopped. Did…did she know?

"Uh, no. I mean yes, I'm fine," Thalia replied. "I thought you weren't coming back for a few days…?"

She sighed. "Yes, well…something has come up, and I'll be a day later. I just wanted to inform you of the change so you didn't worry."

Thalia nodded, gripping her bow. She should tell her. She should spill everything about Apollo and her.

Artemis narrowed her eyes at Thalia. She studied her red eyes, her pale face, and her slouched stance. This wasn't the Thalia she knew. This Thalia just seemed…wrecked. She was very suspicious. Besides, why was she even here? Her brother wasn't anywhere in sight…

"Thalia? Are you sure you're all right?"

"I…"

Thalia licked her lips nervously. She opened her mouth to spill and confess everything, but her mouth clammed up. Her throat became dry and her breathing became slightly labored.

She broke eye contact with Artemis and stared at her feet and turned away. "I'm…fine. I…good luck with whatever's going on."

Thalia mentally beat herself up as she felt Artemis' gaze retract from her form. She felt a flash of heat and saw a bright light. When she turned around, she found Artemis gone. The snow from where she had been standing had melted, leaving scorched, damp grass.

Thalia clenched her teeth. Who was she kidding? She was scared of telling Artemis. She didn't want to see the disappointment that would be in her eyes. She didn't want to lose her family. She didn't want to face her quite yet. Right now, she needed to see the Sun god.

She sought out Olivia, stepping through the thick snow with her boots. "Olivia," she said once she found her. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back by noon."

Olivia bit her lip in worry. She wanted to ask what was going on, but she held back and instead just nodded.

Thalia didn't say anything as she turned and started making her way through the woods. She slung her bow on her shoulder and wrapped her scarf around the lower half of her face. She pulled her coat tighter around her lithe frame and kept walking deeper into the woods. The thicket of trees blocked most of the wind, to which she was thankful for.

After walking for about an hour, Thalia broke through the trees to a clearing. About forty feet ahead, there was a cliff that declined steeply. The wind hit her hard and she felt a large shiver spasm run through her.

She felt her heart beat furiously as she remembered that she was going to be seeing Apollo soon. She wasn't sure if she would be able to keep herself up while she talked to him, but she would try her hardest to keep composure. It would be hard, but she could do it.

She stopped in the clearing beside a large rock. She swallowed away her doubts and fears and tried to call Apollo.

"Apollo, please…" she mumbled. "I need to see you."

Silence. She waited…and waited…but nothing happened. She swallowed hard and tried again.

"Please Apollo…I really need to talk to you."

Again, nothing happened. No BMW dropping from the sky, no flash of light announcing his arrival…nothing.

Thalia huffed slightly. He had to have heard her. That jackass was ignoring her. Well fine. She would wait, and when she froze to death and died, they could blame Apollo.

She climbed on top of the huge rock and sat down with her arms and legs crossed, her bow resting in her lap.

_He better hurry the hell up._

Two hours later, after freezing to death, she actually felt a powerful presence suddenly appear. She sat up and blinked as she found Apollo staring at her, standing ten feet away.

"Apollo…" Thalia breathed, standing up. She felt the flood of emotions threaten to break through her walls, but she steeled herself and buried them again before he could recognize them. She leveled her gaze with his, her bow still clenched at her side. "I need to talk to you."

Apollo shifted uncomfortably. The tension between them was palpable. "I was hoping you would go back," he said honestly, causing Thalia's anger to flare slightly. "What do you need?"

Thalia felt her spine tingle from his voice, and she walked up to him. With each step that she got closer to him, she felt her heart pounding against her chest in an unsteady beat. She finally stopped two feet away from him, staring up into his eyes. They flickered back and forth between sadness and disbelief. However, when they made eye contact, his eyes remained emotionless.

Thalia then spoke, "I know what's going on in Olympus."

Apollo's eyes narrowed, but he raised a brow, crossed his arms, and asked condescendingly, "Oh really?" Thalia nodded stubbornly. "And what might that be?" Apollo challenged.

"I know that that Meliboea chick is after you and Artemis for killing her siblings," Thalia answered smugly. She felt satisfaction at Apollo's surprised look and wide eyes. He quickly recovered though and glared down at her.

"So, you really were eavesdropping that day…" He shook his head and sighed. "I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. Yes, you're right. Meliboea, believe it or not, is pissed at Artemis and I, so she's come to take revenge on us. She tries this every thousand years or so, so we're pretty used to it."

There was an edge to his voice that caused Thalia to believe that it was different than all those other times. "So if you're used to it, why are you and Artemis so worried this time?"

Apollo pursed his lips. "How did you know about Meliboea anyways?" he asked, slightly changing the subject.

"Annabeth," she answered simply and Apollo rolled his eyes.

"You know, it's not nice using your friends like that."

"Stop changing the subject, Apollo," Thalia said sternly. _"What is going on?"_

Apollo stared at her, taking in her features. She didn't look good, and he felt guilty because he knew he was the reason for that. And she was about to hate him even more.

He looked away from her and clenched his jaw. "Don't even worry about it. It's none of your business anyways."

Thalia couldn't believe it. Why wouldn't they tell her? It was so frustrating. "Why the hell is everybody so bent on keeping me out of the loop? Seriously! I already practically know what's happening. Why won't you tell me the rest?"

"It's none of your concern!"

"It is if you're involved!"

Apollo stopped and stared at Thalia. She was clenching her bow so hard, he was afraid it was going to break.

_She just…did she just admit she was _worried_ about me?_

Thalia hoped he hadn't noticed her slip, but by the look on his face, he had. She turned away from him and mentally berated herself.

"Thalia…" Apollo started softly, but stopped. He wanted to tell her, but if she knew, she could be put in danger. That was the last thing he wanted. He would rather die himself than see her harmed. Besides, just knowing that she cared about him…well, it gave him some hope.

Still, he infused his voice with finality and said, "I can't get you involved." Despite his efforts, his voice broke slightly. "I can't put you in the crossfire of all of this," he muttered, staring at the ground. "I can't see you get hurt."

Thalia felt her walls slowly crumble away at his concern for her safety. Even after everything that happened in Manhattan, he was still worried about her. She turned towards him and stared up at him.

"Apollo…" she mumbled.

Apollo interrupted her and spoke harshly. "So I'm not going to tell you."

Thalia stared coldly at him. "Fine," she reluctantly muttered, crossing her arms and turning away again.

"Fine," Apollo repeated, clenching his fists.

They were immersed in an awkward silence. Thalia was still going to get to the bottom of this problem. She wasn't going to let Artemis or Apollo stop her. She was involved now, and she wasn't going to just forget about it.

Apollo was just praying that she would drop it. It was a fat chance, but he was hoping she would, for once, let it go. It would kill him if she got caught up in this and got hurt. He wouldn't be able to bear it. Hell, he wanted to tear himself apart right now, seeing her this heartbroken because of _him_. He wanted to just beat himself up and take away all of her hurt and forget any of this had happened.

He sighed to himself. He may have been the god of medicine, but the one thing he couldn't heal was a broken heart.

"Have you told Artemis?" he quietly asked after another minute of silence.

Thalia's walls completely fell away then. The back of her throat started tingling and her eyes watered up.

"No," she mumbled. Her voice cracked and trembled. "I…I couldn't."

His heart broke even more. "Thalia…" Without thinking, he took a step towards her and laid a hand against her cheek. Thalia couldn't help but lean into his hand, his warmth forgotten and missed. But then, suddenly, he froze and pulled back.

"I-I have to go," he quickly stuttered and forced himself away from Thalia. He vanished, leaving Thalia by herself, practically crying.

Thalia let out a huge breath, like someone had pushed her. She could barely stand on her wobbly legs as her heart felt like it was being crushed. She couldn't contain the tears, and they silently spilled over, running down her cheeks in rivulets. Stubborn as always, she furiously wiped away her tears and turned away from the cliff and struggled back to camp.

* * *

Artemis just knew something was wrong with Thalia. She had obviously been lying when she said everything was fine. Artemis wanted answers, and she wanted them now.

So, she went back to her hunters later in the evening. She had a dreadful feeling in her stomach as she sought out Thalia. She was in the main tent with Olivia. Artemis stepped inside, and when Thalia caught sight of her, she could practically taste the fear that Thalia was emitting.

Thalia froze when she saw Artemis step into their tent. Olivia just seemed surprised.

"L-Lady," Olivia stuttered, bowing. "I thought you went back to Olympus?"

"I did, but…" Artemis sighed. "I need to speak with Thalia in private."

"Of course," Olivia nodded, giving Thalia a supporting look. Thalia just grimaced and stiffly stood up to bow to Artemis.

"Lady," Thalia politely, yet tensely, greeted. "What's up?"

Artemis just stared at Thalia for a minute. She caught sight of her stress-filled face, her red-rimmed eyes, and her emotionless eyes. The more she stared at her, the more she could see Thalia start to fall apart.

Artemis sighed. "Tell me what happened."

And Thalia couldn't hold it in any longer. She spoke through her tears, telling Artemis everything that happened between her and Apollo, from the beginning of the ten days, to just a few hours ago. It took about ten minutes to tell, but when it was all done, Thalia was sitting on a chair, holding her head in her hands. If anything, the tears were from knowing that she wasn't going to be a Hunter anymore. Yes, she was upset about her situation with Apollo, but even more so with her situation right now.

Artemis gave out a frustrated, yet sad sigh. _It always happens to the best ones…_

"Well, Thalia," Artemis started weakly. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened. I'm sorry that it happened to you and my brother, and I'll probably beat him up for this…" Artemis took a deep breath. "But despite all the hurt I know you're going through, you broke your promise to me. You…you can't be a Hunter anymore, Thalia. Never again."

Thalia shook her head, as if it would dispel this nightmare. She suddenly felt a burning inside of her, like her soul was being torn. She cried out, but just as quickly as it started, it was over. Her breath labored, and she felt weaker than she had ever before.

"What…" Thalia gasped.

Artemis stood up, staring at Thalia. Thalia couldn't ignore the cold feeling in Artemis' eyes that was directed at her. "My Hunters are marked with my blessing and immortality. You broke your promise, and so you no longer have my blessing or immortality. You are like a regular mortal now."

Thalia felt like a dagger had been stabbed in her heart and twisted cruelly. This couldn't be happening…it couldn't be….

"I ask that you gather your things immediately and say your goodbyes so I can take you to Camp."

Thalia felt herself crumbling as Artemis stepped outside. Her whole life was falling away bit by bit…

And there was nothing she could do about it.

With a heavy heart, she gathered her things and her bow and stepped outside, where the Hunters stood with Artemis. Some of them looked on at her with sad and pity, while the majority of them looked at her with hate and resentment. The way they saw it, she was an outsider. She wasn't one of them.

Thalia bravely ignored their looks and stepped up to Artemis, her backpack on her shoulders. Olivia, who was standing beside Artemis, looked like she was going to cry.

Thalia stared at Artemis. "Please," she begged. "Don't make me do this."

Artemis steeled her gaze. "I'm sorry. I cannot forgive this."

Thalia's eyes watered, and she reluctantly nodded. She closed her eyes as Artemis touched her shoulder. She felt a tug in her stomach, and when she opened her eyes, she was at the top of Half-Blood hill beside her tree. The Hunters were gone. She was done with them. For good.

Thalia collapsed on her knees, crying into her hands.

She had completely ruined her life. She couldn't go back to the Hunters. She wasn't one of them anymore.

She was on her own.

* * *

**Sigh. So obviously I couldn't let her be a Hunter too. This is probably going to sound silly, but I was listening to Not One of Us from Lion King 2 when she was being disgraced from the Hunters, and believe it or not it actually made it seem more dramatic. It was sweet. **

**Anyways, thanks for reading and review pleeeease! I saw I had 221 reviews and I was like, "WOAH!" THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! **

**-Akatsuki Child**


	10. Day Eight

**This is definitely the longest chapter. We have some more Apollo and Thalia scenes in here :D Just a shoutout to all my readers and reviewers! I love you guys so much! You inspire me to write :D Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Day Eight**

_**Christmas Day**_

Thalia sat in her old cabin—cabin one, the one dedicated to Zeus. As of yesterday, she was once again considered to be put in Zeus' cabin.

And she hated it.

It was dark and depressing. It held cobwebs in the corners and dust covered everything. She had had the sheets from the bed changed. Her backpack had been placed haphazardly on the bedside table. There was a statue of Zeus and an eagle, the sign of Zeus.

Thalia laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She could hear the laughter of some kids running by, probably having a snowball fight with the snow the camp had allowed in. She remembered her and Apollo's snowball fight. That had been the day she had fallen into the water, and he had saved her and held her close…

Her chest tightened at the memory and she turned on her side, instead remembering yesterday's shock of the century…

* * *

Thalia cried on top of Half-Blood hill. She wasn't sure how long she sat there in snow. Pelius, the Fleece's protector, gave a small grumble and smoke rose from his nostrils. A few minutes later, she heard steps through the snow and she looked up with watery eyes to find Chiron. He looked surprised to find her there and even more so because she was crying.

"Oh, child…" Chiron sighed. He clopped over and gently picked her up and put her on his back and turned back and galloped down to the Big House. Once inside, she slipped off and he had her sit down. A few minutes later, a blanket was placed on her shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate was placed in front of her. That only stirred more memories of _that day_, though, and more tears just spilled over.

Chiron looked uncomfortable dealing with a crying girl, so with worried eyes, he turned to the camper who'd given her her beverage and quietly spoke, "Will you go fetch Percy and Annabeth?"

The camper just nodded and gave Thalia one more glance before quickly jogging outside. Ten minutes later, Percy and Annabeth burst through the doors with pale faces and flushed cheeks, breathing heavily. Once they took in the sight of Thalia, their eyes widened.

"Thalia…" Annabeth muttered, she rushed forward and gave her friend a tight hug. Percy came forward too and gave her a softer hug. Annabeth pulled back as Thalia wiped away some of her tears. "What _happened?"_

Thalia took a deep breath and glanced at all of them. They waited intently, staring at her with wide eyes. She had no choice but to tell them everything that happened. She was on the edge of breaking again when she was done. Now that she thought about it, though, she realized how bitter and mad she was at the current state of everything. She wanted to run up and punch Apollo over and over until he felt at least a tenth of what she was feeling. She wanted to cuss out Artemis and scream at her for exiling her. But she knew she couldn't do that. It was her own fault that things happened the way they did. She had responded to Apollo's kiss. She had fallen in love with him. She had to suffer the consequences.

All three of them stared at her in shock. Annabeth was the first to break out of it. "Oh Thalia…" She hugged Thalia again. "I'm so sorry…I can't believe…you and Apollo?"

Thalia nodded. "If you're going to ridicule me, then you can save it," she said bitterly. "I've had enough with being kicked out of the Hunters."

She turned away from them, and glared at the table, tears swimming into her vision.

Suddenly, Percy spoke. "We're not going to, Thalia. It's shocking, yeah…but we want to help you. We're your friends." He smiled encouragingly at her and she couldn't help but smile a bit. Annabeth nodded and smiled too.

Thalia sighed though. "I appreciate, but I don't know how much you guys can help me. But, there is one thing…"

She told them about Olympus and how Meliboea was going to go after Artemis and Apollo.

"But I had to figure that out on my own. When I asked them about it, they wouldn't say anything. They don't want me getting involved, or anyone for that matter."

Chiron nodded. "I remember that. Niobe was very prideful of her children and mocked Leto for it. Meliboea has tried this thousands of times, but she's always failed."

Thalia nodded. "But this time is different. This time, Apollo and Artemis seemed on edge."

Chiron rubbed his chin in thought. "That is peculiar…" He looked truly puzzled by this, but he seemed to brush it off for now. "But right now, we have more pressing matters. Percy, Annabeth, why don't you take Thalia to her cabin?"

Annabeth nodded and Thalia sighed to herself. She hated having people take care of her. She hated being vulnerable.

"Let someone help you for once," Annabeth mumbled to her, staring at her with pleading eyes. "You don't have to be so strong all the time."

Thalia was surprised she had said this to her. But maybe she was right. She didn't always have to be strong. She figured breaking down just once wouldn't be so horrible. So, she allowed Annabeth to help her out of the chair and onto her wobbly legs. Her legs were shaking, but not just because of her crying. She was also weak from having her immortality and blessing taken away. She hadn't felt like a mortal for _years_. She hadn't realized how weak it was compared to an immortal.

They exited the Big House. They didn't say much as they trudged through the foot-deep snow to Cabin One. Thalia had never felt so depressed in her life. She had never felt like such a…_failure._ She had failed in keeping her promise to Artemis. She had practically failed love…she had broken Apollo's heart.

With this realization, she slowed down to a stop, staring unseeingly at the snow. Percy and Annabeth stopped too and glanced at each other worriedly before looking at Thalia.

"Hey," Percy spoke. "Are you okay, Thalia?"

She had let down two people she had cared about, two people she didn't want to disappoint.

She sighed. But worst of all, she had disappointed herself.

"I guess," she muttered and started walking again. Percy and Annabeth followed her, getting more worried by the minute. They passed by a few people, some that Thalia knew. They didn't say anything to her, though, probably seeing the look on her face. However, Thalia couldn't help but feel paranoid that, by morning, everyone would know of her secret. She trusted Percy and Annabeth, but there were a lot of people in this camp she didn't trust.

When they got to Cabin One, Thalia stopped and turned to Percy and Annabeth. "Thanks, guys. For helping me and not freaking out about…Apollo."

"Of course," Percy replied. "We'll help you, Thalia."

She gave a small smile and hugged them both before entering her cabin. Feeling exhausted from everything that had happened, she placed her backpack on the nightstand and crashed on the dust-covered bed. She curled up in a ball (it was some weak attempt to hold herself together) and fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

That was how she had ended up here in Cabin One. She wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but she would rather take this empty, lonely cabin then a crowded one. Besides, she probably deserved the quality of the cabin after everything she had done.

Thalia knew she couldn't stay in here all day though. She needed to get out and walk around. She had skipped breakfast earlier. She didn't have much of an appetite anyways.

She changed into warmer clothes and pulled her coat and scarf on. While she was riffling through her book bag for her mittens, she caught sight of something. She pulled it out and found it was her Christmas present for Apollo. She blinked. She put them on the bedside table and, remembering Percy and Annabeth's presents, pulled them out too. Once she found her mittens, she gathered up her items and her backpack and decided to head on over to—she shuddered—the Aphrodite cabin to get her presents wrapped.

That included Apollo's present.

An hour later, she burst out of the cabin, barely escaping their eyeliner and mascara of death. She should have known there would be some sort of trap. Luckily, she had escaped before they could do anything to her. She took a deep breath as she slipped Apollo's present back into her back pack and went in search of Percy and Annabeth.

She found them making out behind a tree.

Lovely.

She coughed and couldn't help but smile when they jumped away from each other with bright red faces and breathing hard.

"I know you guys are happy being in love and stuff," she couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice as she said this, "but I just wanted to say merry Christmas and here are your presents."

She thrust them into their surprised faces and they took them slowly.

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth smiled. "I would have gotten you something but…"

Thalia just held up her hand, silently asking not to mention anything. She was doing her best to be normal. For them.

"Thanks, Thalia," Percy grinned as he opened his present to reveal a cheesy beach shirt, much like what his own father, Poseidon, frequently wore. "I'll wear it all the time."

She smiled and watched as Annabeth opened her present. Thalia had gotten her something technical. "It's for your computer. It's an architect program where you create your own cities and such."

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth grinned, hugging the girl. "I can't wait to try it!"

Percy groaned. "Great. Now she'll get addicted to it and forget about me. Thanks Thalia."

Annabeth laughed and hugged Percy. "I'll make sure to make time for you, Percy."

Thalia shifted uncomfortably as he leaned down and kissed her. She wasn't exactly big on affection right now…

Annabeth released him and asked Thalia, "Why weren't you at breakfast?"

Thalia licked her lips and just said, "Wasn't hungry."

Annabeth gave her a look of disbelief, but Thalia just ignored it and said, "Sorry Percy, but I need to talk with Annabeth."

Percy just nodded. "That's fine. I have to go anyways."

He gave Annabeth a kiss and then shuffled off back towards camp. Annabeth stared at Thalia in wonder. Thalia tried to figure out how to say what she needed to. She sighed, then simply asked, "Does it hurt?"

Annabeth's brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

"Love, I mean. Does it ever hurt? Like between you and Percy?"

Annabeth's brow smoothed out then. She understood what Thalia was trying to ask now. She was wondering if what she was feeling really _was_ love. She didn't know what it was from growing up without any love. She'd never experienced it before this.

"Well…it does. It hurts really badly. Whenever we have a serious fight…it burns. It…it feels like your soul is burning, like a piece of you had been ripped away. I'm not going to sugar coat it, Thalia. It's like a crippling pain in your heart."

Thalia took that in. Burning soul? Check. Feeling torn? Check. Crippling pain? Check.

Thalia was positive now. "Annabeth…I really am in love with Apollo." Tears came to her eyes, but they never spilt over. She just couldn't understand how it had happened. She didn't know why she had fallen for him, probably the most unattainable guy.

Annabeth sighed and hugged her best friend. "I'm happy for you, Thalia. I mean, not that you're hurting, but that you fell in love with him." _Because honestly, _she thought, _you guys would be perfect for each other._ "Look, I know you're hurting and I know how that feels. Trust me, I do. But…believe it or not, if—no, _when_ things work out, you'll feel ten times better. You'll be so happy, I'll want to puke."

She pulled back and Thalia sighed. "Thanks Annabeth."

She just hoped Annabeth was right and that things would work out. Right now, her situation seemed hopeless.

* * *

Apollo was about to explode. Literally, explode. His sister and been yelling at him nonstop for an hour now. He had held up his argument for a good amount of time, but eventually he realized she wouldn't see reason and he gave up his attempts. He sat in his home in Olympus, Artemis pacing in front of him, yelling and cursing him.

"I can't believe you would do this to her! And to me! You took away my best Hunter, dammit! Why are you so selfish?"

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," he started, deadly intent in his voice as he stood up and towered over his sister. "I wasn't being selfish. You of all people should know that these things just _happen_. And stop saying it's my fault! I didn't force her into anything! She made her decision on her own."

"You forced yourself onto her!"

"And she kissed me back!"

Silence. Artemis looked slightly stunned.

Apollo stared at her. "She kissed me back, Artemis. I would've stopped if she hadn't." He shook his head angrily. "Look, I know I'm a player. But I'm not some lowlife who _forces_ girls to do anything they don't want to. Like I said, she chose to kiss me back. Everything she did, she chose to."

Apollo sighed and turned to look out the window. Olympus was dusted in a light layer of snow. The Winter Solstice had been a few days ago, and whenever Hades came, a light snow would fall. It was one of those weird things that happened.

Apollo stared at some demigods that were having a small snow war. In all actuality, he missed Thalia. His heart ached so much to see her, but he knew he couldn't. His mind was still reeling from their meeting yesterday. She had told him she knew what was going on, and she had pretty much been right. It scared him because he knew she was going to find a way to help out, thus getting herself hurt. He didn't need that.

They—being his sister and everyone else who looked at him with pity—may not have realized it, but Thalia was special to him. He wanted to be with her, and only her. He wanted to love her and being loved by her. But he was stuck here because she had suggested they stay away from each other. It killed him, but if that's what she wanted, then so be it. He knew how much he had hurt her, and he would do anything to make it up to her. This included.

"Well, I'm miserable anyways," Apollo said bitterly and wistfully. "So you should be happy."

But Artemis wasn't. She wasn't happy that they were both upset. She loved them both, even if she was disappointed in them.

She sighed as Apollo walked out the door and vanished without a trace.

_I want to help, but I think they need to solve this for themselves._

* * *

Thalia walked through the forest at camp by herself. It was nightfall already. They had ignited a huge fire and lit up a Christmas tree and exchanged presents and such. Now, she just wanted to be alone. She had her backpack with her, Apollo's present still tucked safely inside. It wasn't anything big or fancy, but she knew that, when she gave it to him, he would like it.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here for too long," she heard a voice say. She stopped and bit her lip to keep from crying. She turned and found Apollo leaning nonchalantly against a tree.

Thalia thought that he looked as bad as she felt. His hair was messed up, but not in a sexy way. It was the _I'm a complete mess right now_ kind of messed up. His usually bright green eyes were dampened and dark. His face was rugged and he looked tired and just plain worn out.

Thalia swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself. "Not like you really care…" she mumbled.

He shook his head slowly. "I never said I didn't care about you, Thalia."

She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Why are you even here?"

"You wanted to see me," he said solemnly.

Thalia hadn't been calling him. But it was true. She really wanted to see him, and part of her was really glad he was here right now.

She took a deep breath and slipped her backpack from her shoulders. With hands shaking slightly, she started riffling through it until she brought out Apollo's present. It was a smallish box shaped like a rectangle with blue wrapping paper and a green bow on it.

"That day when we went to the mall…" she started, "I bought you a present. So…merry Christmas."

She gave a small smile as she stepped forward and handed it over to him. He stared at her for what seemed like a long time before he finally opened the box. He smiled as he pulled out a pair of badass Aviator sunglasses. When he put them on, Thalia's breath hitched in her throat. He was simply a model in whatever he wore. She blushed a bit and looked down and saw he was wearing his colorful shoes and she smiled.

"I love them," he smiled, hanging them on his shirt. "I'll wear them all the time."

Their heartbreak was currently forgotten as they smiled at each other, the thick tension between them almost gone for once. For a second, it seemed like they were in love, like nothing had happened.

But then the tension slowly came back as Apollo suddenly said, "I have a present for you too."

He swiftly pulled an object out of thin air and presented it to Thalia. It was a brand new bow. It was black and dark purple, with silver lining around it.

"I made it myself," Apollo said as Thalia took it from him, looking at it in awe. "It's indestructible, and it's a bit like Odysseus' bow: only you can string it and shoot it."

"Apollo…" Thalia was amazed he had actually done that for her. It seriously touched her.

But it also made her slightly angry.

She clenched the bow as tears came to her eyes. Throughout this whole week, he had been so kind to her and always willing to do the extra just so she was happy with it. He truly did care for her and it made her feel sick because…well, she couldn't give him anything in return.

"I hate that you do this," she mumbled, shaking her head.

Apollo was confused. "Huh?"

"I hate that you make me feel this way," she continued. She had started; she couldn't stop now. "I hate how you care so much for me and that you made me feel love for the first time. I hate that I kissed you and got kicked out of the Hunters." Apollo winced at this. "I _hate_ you so much for it. I hate that I love you because you're goofy and caring and loving. I hate you because you make me love you." She took a deep breath as a tear slid down her cheek.

Apollo was stunned from this confession. He understood now, and he would admit that he was a bit happy. She admitted again that she loved him.

"Thalia," he grabbed her shoulders. "I love you." Plain and simple. Thalia stared at him with wide eyes. "I…I didn't want to leave you Thalia, but you wanted me to leave. You're so different Thalia…I never want to let you go. I want to keep you with me and just…_love you_." He stared into her watery eyes. "I don't want you to leave me again Thalia. I can't stand being away from you. I can't think, can't eat…I can't even sleep. I don't know how you wriggled into my heart, Thalia, but you did, and when you're not beside me…my heart breaks so much."

Thalia shuddered as he pulled her closer and held her face in his hands, caressing her cheek and staring into her eyes.

"I love you Thalia, and I don't want you to go. So please…stay with me."

His lips were an inch away from hers. She was so tempted to just lean forward and kiss him and forget that anything had ever happened between them. She wanted to hold him and never let go.

But she knew she couldn't. So with as much will as she had, she held up her hand against his lips and pulled away. It killed her inside to walk away, but she had to. At least for now.

"I…I have to think about this, Apollo," she whispered. He looked slightly disappointed, but it was soon replaced with a hopeful look.

He nodded. "That's better than a no." He smiled lightly, trying to lighten the air.

Thalia just bit her lip. "I have to go…"

She turned and started back to camp, her bow clenched in her hands, when Apollo called out, "Hey, Thalia?"

She stopped.

"Do you still love me?"

Her heart stuttered as she turned and smiled lightly. "Of course I do."

He just smiled and turned back around, vanishing in the trees.

Thalia walked back to her cabin, their conversation running through her head a thousand times. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. She did love him, but how could she go back to him after experiencing so much heart break?

She sighed and placed her brand new, elegant bow on a stand and laid down on her bed. She couldn't help but smile when she thought of being together with Apollo.

_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…_

**So Thalia is thinking about it...yay! Next chapter, she'll do some more thinking and her and Annabeth research this Meliboea problem and Thalia ends up in a bit of trouble...**

**Thanks for reading and REVIEW please! :D**

**-Akatsuki Child**

* * *


	11. Day Nine

**I told myself I was going to take the weekend off. Then I sat down and started writing and I couldn't stop :) I am actually quite fond of this chapter. It kind of kicks things into gear. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Day Nine**

That night, Thalia had an interesting dream that slightly scared her.

_Thalia was running through the forest in Camp. She was clutching her new bow from Apollo in a death grip. She knew she was looking for something, but she wasn't sure what it was. She was out of breath and sweating despite the cold winter air. Despite that, she kept on running, pushing her exhausted legs even harder. _

_Then, she saw a figure up ahead. She smiled and ran faster, but then she suddenly tripped. She cried out as she fell, but instead of hitting ground, she kept falling. She looked down and saw she was falling through the sky above New York, and the ground was coming up pretty fast. _

_She screamed. This was why she was so afraid of heights. Buildings rushed by her as she continued to scream. She dared to glance down and saw the pavement just seconds away. She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for her demise._

_Surprising her again, she didn't hit the sidewalk and become a pancake. Instead, she kept falling. She opened her eyes and saw darkness all around her. She was falling in a black abyss, or so it appeared. She felt like she was floating. She felt weightless. It was oddly peaceful. There wasn't anything to worry about._

_She heard a noise above her and she looked up to see what looked liked the surface, like she was underwater. A familiar hand was outstretched toward her, as if she was drowning and he was trying to help her. Confused, her brow furrowed as she hesitantly grabbed the hand. It abruptly yanked her up and out of the black abyss. _

_When she broke the surface, she found herself soaking wet and shivering. She looked down and saw she really had been in water. She blinked and turned to see who had saved her, but no one was there. Instead, she found herself staring up at the wonder that was Olympus. _

_Glittering buildings were nestled into the mountain that disappeared higher up above a whitish haze in the sky. Shops were currently closed and the streets were deserted, only the odd demigod straggling around. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and on the buildings. _

_She slowly stood up and found she was still wet, but oddly, she was freezing or going into hypothermia. Her brow furrowed as she slowly stepped through Olympus to the huge greek-columned pavilion where the gods held council. Her tracks in the snow behind her slowly disappeared, keeping the purity and perfection of the layer of snow. _

_Thalia was confused as to why she was here. When she entered the pavilion, she found Hestia, the goddess of the home, at the hearth tending to the moderate flame, keeping it warm. She glanced over and winked at Thalia before going back to her tending. Thalia's brow furrowed as she turned and looked into the room. Above on the ceiling, constellations burned bright, especially Zoe's. Thalia smiled softly, remembering the great Hunter lieutenant. But her nostalgia was broken when she heard bickering voices._

_She turned and saw Apollo and Artemis arguing. The twins had their bows and arrows with them. Their faces were slightly flushed and they looked like they had just finished running quite a bit. Also, Thalia couldn't help but notice that Apollo had his Aviators that she had given him hooked to his t-shirt. _

"_She got away," Apollo grumbled. "And don't you _dare_ say it was my fault, because for once, it wasn't."_

_Artemis glared at him but didn't say anything because, whether she liked it or not, it was true. Luck just wasn't with them today, and Meliboea had gotten away._

_She crossed her arms and bit her lip, looking worried. "She slipped away somewhere…but I just don't know where…"_

_Apollo nodded. "I know what you mean. It's like she just…disappeared."_

_Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder and Thalia felt herself falling again. She looked up just in time to see an unknown woman smirk at her and aim an arrow at her. She pulled back her bow string and then released it. The arrow came flying at her. Thalia's eyes widened in fear. _

She bolted up out of bed and flopped onto the floor on her hands and knees, the sheets tangled around her legs. She was gasping for breath as she replayed the dream in her head. It was a strange dream, and she wasn't exactly sure what it meant.

She took a deep breath and stood up, sitting back on her bed. She wondered…had that scene with Apollo and Artemis been real? If so, then where was Meliboea?

* * *

Thalia walked through the snow at around mid-day the next day. She was currently heading to the Athena cabin to consult Annabeth about a few things. First, she wanted to talk to her about Olympus and her dream. Thalia knew that Apollo wanted her to stay away. So did Artemis. But she couldn't. She was involved whether they liked it or not. Mostly, though, she was worried about Apollo. She knew he was a god, so it wasn't easy for him to get hurt, but she still worried greatly about him. She _needed_ to make sure he was all right and that she was blowing things way out of proportion about Meliboea. For once, she wanted to be wrong.

And secondly…well, she needed help with her Apollo situation. She wanted to go back to him, but was it the smart thing to do? How could she go back to him and risk even more heartbreak? He had told her again that he loved her, and she loved him, so what else was holding her back?

Maybe it was the fact that he had a history of being a player. If she devoted herself to him only to be shoved away for someone else…she wouldn't be able to bear it. Gods were notorious for having affairs with multiple mortals, very rarely staying faithful to one person. It would be just plain stupid of her to devote herself to him.

All this thinking was making her queasy. She tried distracting herself with other things as she trudged to Annabeth's cabin. Once there, she knocked on the door and one of Annabeth's sisters opened the door.

She blinked and said, "Oh. Thalia. Hi."

"Hey," Thalia replied. "Is Annabeth here? I need to speak to her."

"Yeah she is. We were just leaving for archery, but, uh, if Annabeth _isn't feeling well,_ I can tell Chiron." She gave Thalia meaningful look.

Thalia smiled. "That would be great." The girl smiled and allowed Thalia to step inside. The cabin was slightly crazy as the older kids tried to find the younger kids' shoes and usher them outside for their archery lessons. Thalia maneuvered her way around kids until she found Annabeth on Daedulus' lap top.

Annabeth looked up in surprise. "Thalia," she said. "What are you doing here?"

The door shut closed as the last kid exited the cabin. Thalia leaned against the table on which the lap top was sitting. The walls were completely covered in blueprints and drawings. There were two book shelves stocked with books, most of them put back haphazardly. A few were lying on the ground, the pages slightly bent and scribbled on with important notes.

"I need to talk to you," Thalia replied. "Don't worry, your siblings are covering for you. I don't Chiron will mind anyways."

Annabeth nodded, but her brows were furrowed in worry and confusion. She closed her lap top lid and leaned back in her chair, staring at Thalia expectantly.

Thalia took a deep breath and dove right in. She first told Annabeth about her dream and about seeing Artemis and Apollo.

Thalia shook her head. "I don't think Meliboea is on her own. Why would she suddenly become a threat after so many thousands of years trying to get revenge? No, I think someone is helping her."

"But who?" Annabeth questioned.

Thalia chewed her lip. "That's the thing. I'm not sure. I don't know much about this Meliboea chick except for what you told me." She crossed her arms and sat on top of the desk. "In my dream, Artemis said she…disappeared. Apollo had agreed with her."

Annabeth opened her lap top and started typing away. "That is odd…Okay, I have something on her. Did you know she had children?"

Thalia blinked. "Uh, no."

Annabeth nodded. "Apparently she did. Lots of them. Mostly sons. They all were murdered, except one: Nestor. But also get this: she named one of her kids Alastor."

"Revenge…" Thalia mumbled. "That's what his name means, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Talk about bitterness."

Thalia's brows furrowed in thought. Somehow this was all connected. She wasn't sure how, but it was.

Annabeth sighed. "I think you're right about Meliboea having help. She doesn't seem like the type to be able to do this on her own."

Thalia nodded. This was all confusing to her, but she also had something else to talk about.

"Annabeth…" Thalia started hesitantly. "There's one more thing I need to talk to you about…"

She took a deep breath. "I saw Apollo last night, in the forest. We, uh, talked and…" Her eyes smarted with tears. "He still loves me. He wants me to go back to him. But, Annabeth…I don't know if I can…I want to but…"

Annabeth stared at her friend with pity. This problem was just getting worse and worse. She felt sorry that Thalia had to go through all of this with her first experience of love. Truthfully, she'd be amazed if things worked out in the end.

She smiled sadly. "You're afraid of getting your heart broken again," she stated. She sighed. "Honestly, I don't know if I can help you out with this one. But…I don't know…maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just…step away for a little bit. You know, try to figure things out with yourself before you make any big commitment." She grabbed Thalia's hands. "The last thing you want to do is rush into this and break _his_ heart."

Thalia contemplated that. She was right, of course. She was always right.

"Yeah…" she mumbled. "You're right."

A silence fell over them. Thalia's head was filled with thoughts running a mile a minute, each one passing onto another for a second before flying away again. Thalia was trying to sort things out, but she was very unsuccessful while her feelings were running amuck as well.

She took a deep breath and tried to clear her head as best as she could before turning to Annabeth again. "Thanks for everything…" She got up to leave, trying to escape without another word, but Annabeth stopped her.

"You're going to Olympus, aren't you?" she accused.

Thalia winced and slowly turned to look at Annabeth. "Technically speaking, I'm not obligated to this Camp. I can leave whenever I want."

Annabeth just smirked. "I never said I was trying to stop you, though I do think that it's stupid you're going."

Thalia shrugged as she turned and gripped the door knob. "It's just something I have to do."

She opened the door and slipped outside into the cool air. She went back to her cabin, the whole time thinking about Annabeth's advice. She _did_ need to figure her own feelings out before she went and threw herself out there. Plus, she had to think about the consequences of being with Apollo and if he was worth it.

But that was a silly question because she already knew that the answer was yes, he was worth it. She loved him.

She sighed and grabbed her bow once she entered her cabin. Maybe a little archery would take her mind off things…

* * *

Thalia was currently at the beach, slamming her bow against a huge, icy boulder sitting innocently on the beach.

_Wow,_ she thought in amazement, her breath coming in short, _he wasn't lying when he said it was indestructible. _

She also realized what a wonderful stress reliever this was. She felt her frustrations slowly melting away every time she struck the rock with the bow. Knowing Apollo, he had made it durable just for this particular reason: her temper.

"Um, I'm no archer, but I don't think you're supposed to be doing that…"

Thalia glared at Percy as she strolled onto the beach, hands in his pockets, with a smirk on his face. He stopped in front of her and raised a brow.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm getting my frustrations out."

"I'm just amazed it hasn't shattered yet."

"It's indestructible. Apollo gave it to me."

Percy didn't say anything. Personally, he thought it was rather ironic that she was getting her frustrations—probably about the sun god—out by using a bow that he himself had given her. He just shrugged. "If that's what helps you…"

"Oh shut it," Thalia growled, climbing onto the rock and inspecting her bow. Not a scratch.

Percy chuckled and stood beside her. Thalia absently wondered when he had gotten so tall, but then she remember that he was already seventeen, and he had probably had his growth spurt.

"Oh my gods…" Thalia suddenly said. "I just realized I'll be getting old again…" She slumped. "Well that's depressing."

Percy laughed. Despite him being seventeen and she only fifteen, in reality, she was a few years older than he.

They lapsed into a silence as they stared out at the icy cold water of Long Island Sound. Thalia sighed. "I feel tired, like I've overstayed my time here. I just…it's weird that I should be in my twenties, but I'm only fifteen."

Percy leaned against the rock. "You know, when your dad offered me immortality after Luke killed Kronos…" Thalia swallowed at the memory of Luke. He was still a bit of a sore spot for her. "I was so tempted to accept. I wouldn't have to worry about getting old or becoming weak…" He fell into a silence of longing, imagining for a minute what it would have been like. But, he shook his head and continued. "But then I realized that I wouldn't get Annabeth, and that right there made my decision."

Thalia shifted uncomfortably, already knowing where this was going. "Relax," Percy said, realizing her tension. "I'm just saying that Apollo…he's probably risking a lot to be with you. I think, if anything, he just wants a chance now that you aren't in the Hunters because, while I'm sure he feels guilty, he knows that you aren't giving up that much anymore."

Thalia bitterly thought that she wouldn't be out of the Hunters if it wasn't for Apollo, but she knew what Percy was saying. She sighed.

"I know what you're saying Percy, I do, but…how can I be sure that my heart won't get broken?"

Percy didn't say anything for a long time. She stared at the back of his head, but he never spoke. After a while, she sighed and got up to leave. When she was two steps away, his voice stopped her.

"You don't," he said. "You just have to trust him. That's the thing about love: if you have a plan, if you have it all figured out…you'll get screwed. You have to give him a chance. You have to trust him, Thalia."

She swallowed and took a deep breath. She didn't say anything. She just continued on her way to the archery grounds.

* * *

Thalia notched an arrow on her bow, pulled the silver string back, and released.

She blinked as she heard a ripping sound. She walked up to the target and saw she had gotten a bulls-eye, but when she tried tugging the arrow out, it wouldn't come out. She stared at it. It was really lodged in there…

She turned and looked at it from the back and yelped. The arrow was protruding through the target to the back end. The target was made of thick wood.

Thalia gaped at the arrow and then looked at her bow in amazement. _What the hell did he do to this bow? That's never happened before…_

She pulled on the arrow again, and after a few forceful tugs, she pulled it out, stumbling back a step.

_Jeez…_

She still wasn't sure if she was the only one who could string it, but she was too lazy to find out. Right now, she just wanted to go and lay in her cabin.

However—surprise, surprise—she couldn't do that because there was someone already lounging on her bed.

She sighed as she closed the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked tiredly.

Apollo, who had his Aviators on his shirt still, just continued to stare at the ceiling. "You were there this morning. I could feel you there."

She blinked. She leaned against the door. "Uh, come again?"

He looked at her with his smoldering green eyes. "Your dream. You dreamt about me and Artemis, right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Thalia sighed. "Yeah, I did. If that's all, then you can go—"

"I also couldn't help but hear that you were planning on going to Olympus." Apollo sat up and gave her a disapproving look, running a hand through his hair, distracting her slightly.

Thalia lifted her chin defiantly. "What, are you spying on me now?"

His jaw clenched. "I'm an Oracle. I see things, and what I saw was you sneaking into Olympus."

She growled slightly and thrust her hands in the air, her bow still in hand. "So what if I was planning on it? You can't stop me from going."

Apollo abruptly stood up and loomed over her. "You wanna bet?"

Thalia swallowed, more over the fact of how close they were. Apollo sighed and lifted his arms, trapping her against the door. "Please, Thalia," he begged. "Just _stay out of it._ I don't need you getting hurt."

His voice sounded so broken, Thalia almost caved.

Almost.

She swallowed. "I'm involved already. You can't stop me." She stared into his deep green eyes. They looked fearful—for _her_. He sighed, his breath washing over her face, causing her to shiver. "Let me help," she whispered to him. His eyes still held disapproval, and she shook her head.

"I can't," he mumbled.

"Why don't you trust me?" she questioned. "I can take care of myself."

The tension between them was so thick it was suffocating them. Apollo leaned his forehead against Thalia's.

"I do trust you, Thalia. But I care about you too much." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. His hands rand down her shoulders to her waist. "I can't, Thalia."

Thalia was trembling. Her bow clattered to the ground as she ran her hands up his chest, grasping the collar of his shirt. Their lips were inches apart, his sweet breath washing over her face. Oh how she longed for his touch. Ever since their kiss, she had been craving his touch. All she wanted right now was for him to hold her.

"I don't want you getting hurt," Thalia confessed. "I want you to stay safe. I just…I'm worried about you. I want to fight with you, to make sure you're okay. If you get hurt…"

Her grip on his shirt tightened, and then suddenly, his lips were pressed hard against hers. Thalia quickly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck. This time, she didn't pull back. This time, she took it in for all it was worth.

Their kiss became more heated as his warm hand slipped under her shirt to her bare skin. She shivered and gripped the hair at the nape of his neck as goose bumps rose on her skin. Her stomach fluttered spastically with his soft, yet lustful touch. Electricity coursed through her veins as he kissed her, sighing and allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. His hand ran down her hip to her jean-clad leg, hitching it up to his waist. She gasped, breathless, as he started kissing her jaw, down her neck, and to her collar bone. She shuddered from his warm body pressed against hers.

She put her hands on his chest, stopping him. He halted, his hand still under her thigh on his waist, his lips resting against her neck. She felt his breaths against her sensitive neck as he caught his breath. Slowly, he lifted his head and slipped her leg back down to the ground. He swallowed hard and looked up into her eyes, seeing lust and love in them.

He clenched his jaw and eyes shut, taking a step away from her. Thalia let out a whoosh of breath from the lost contact, wanting to cry.

Apollo shook his head. "I'm sorry…" He chuckled bitterly. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Thalia felt herself crumbling. "No, you didn't."

She wanted so badly to step forward and wrap her arms around him. She wanted so badly to kiss him again and forgive him for everything and go with him. She wanted _so badly_ to be loved fully.

But she stopped herself. She held back, choosing to turn away from him, causing a large amount of pain to stab her chest.

She heard a knock on the door, causing her to jump. She whipped around to see Apollo, but he was already gone without a trace, leaving a scent of pine tree behind, his natural smell.

Thalia almost collapsed crying (she would've if there wasn't someone at the door). Why was she doing this to herself?

"_You have to give him a change. You have to trust him, Thalia."_

_I know Percy,_ Thalia thought with pain, _but it's me I don't trust._

**Woah. Woah. WOAH!**

**So, we got some ThaliaApollo action :D But we also have a lot of drama now...but still they KISSED! French, nevertheless :) Sigh. I wish I could make out with Apollo...**

**Up next, Thalia battles with herself more as she heads to Olympus and-dun dun DUUUUN!-something happens, something that Apollo feared would! **

**Thanks for reading and review please! Let's see if we can get to the 300 mark :D (THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE LOVELY REVIEWS!)**

**-Akatsuki Child**

* * *


	12. Day Ten

**Ah! Update! I love this chapter, and you will too :D Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Day Ten**

_Dear gods, this is pathetic._

Right now, Thalia couldn't believe this. She was tied to a tree like she was a witch in Salem being burned. Not to mention how cold it was since the cold winter wind was blowing around more than usual. Her feet, though clad in thick winter boots, were about to fall off from hypothermia. Her cheeks were wind burned and they ached from the cold. She guessed they were as red as tomatoes too.

How did she end up in this position? Well, let's back it up.

Thalia was about to cry. The person at her door had just been a person telling her about the change in activities. Apollo had left for nothing. Things were probably ruined permanently between them now. He had kissed her twice—the second time being more serious—and both times, they ended up hurting even more.

Thalia wasn't mad at him this time. She _wanted_ that kiss. The only reason she stopped him was so they didn't take it too far before they couldn't stop. Apollo got it in his head that she was offended by it again, so he left, and he probably wasn't coming back this time.

However, the next morning, she told herself to toughen up. Yes, these next few days were going to be _so hard_, but she needed to get pass that and help out in Olympus. She needed to help Apollo.

So, she filled her backpack with the essentials—mostly med-kit items—with some water bottles and extra clothing. She grabbed her bow and slung her quiver and backpack on her shoulders. She was ready.

She stepped outside and shivered. It was colder today. But that wasn't completely the reason she shivered. She also had a bad feeling about today. Something told her today wasn't going to go as she planned.

Despite that, she continued with her plan. Taking a deep breath, she made her way towards Annabeth's cabin. However, she actually ran into Annabeth and Percy as they were walking back from breakfast.

"So you are leaving then?" Annabeth questioned.

"What?" Percy asked, totally confused.

Thalia ignored him. "Yeah, I should be back soon anyways."

"Hold up. What are you guys talking about?"

"Well…" Annabeth sighed. "Just be careful. And uh…good luck."

Thalia knew exactly what she meant. She hadn't told Annabeth about last night with Apollo, so Thalia tried her best not to cry right there, knowing that their chances together were probably gone.

"Uh, thanks."

Thalia walked off then, leaving Annabeth to deal with a whining Percy. She bit her lip as she made her way to the hill, deciding against telling Chiron. He would just try to dissuade her from going. At least Annabeth knew so if anything happened to her, Annabeth could tell them what happened.

She tried to push Apollo—who was constantly on her mind now—to the back of her thoughts as she snuck past the Big House and to the tree, where Peleus slept peacefully. She quietly stepped by him and when she was at a safe distance, she started running. It was a bit difficult, given the cold and snow, but she somehow managed. When she was far enough away that she couldn't see Half-Blood hill anymore, she stopped, breathing hard.

She really wished she had gotten a ride from Argus. It's not like he would talk anyways.

She shivered and started walking again, her hands shaking from the cold, bitter air. She walked all the way into Manhattan, getting a sense of nostalgia from about a week ago when she was here with Apollo. She felt her heart breaking with each step she took towards the Empire State Building.

When she arrived, she welcomed the warmth from inside, sighing in relief. She took off her gloves to reveal red hands. She rubbed them together as she stepped up to the desk and said, "I need the key to the six hundredth floor."

The man at the desk set his newspaper down and raised a brow. "Excuse me? We don't have that many floors."

Thalia glared. "Oh, but you do." She fished in her pocket for a golden drachma and slid it across the desk. "Maybe this will change your mind."

The man glanced between her and the coin for a minute before dropping his hand on the coin, simultaneously handing her the key.

"Thank you," she nodded. She headed over to the elevator, stepped inside, and put the key in.

* * *

"Stop glaring at me."

Artemis notched her bow, continuing to, against Apollo's wishes, glare at him.

"I said stop it." Apollo refused to look at her, knowing there would be disappointment and anger in her eyes. "I know you want to chew me out—_again_—but I'm in no mood to hear it."

Artemis just sighed angrily and turned on her spot in the tree to stare towards the field they were currently watching for Meliboea.

Apollo, who was in the tree across from her, rolled his eyes and viciously notched an arrow on his bow. He was really pissed with himself. He had hurt Thalia again. He had gone on his own feelings again and made her upset and broken her heart.

He really didn't deserve her. She deserved so much better. He was unworthy. He hated doing this to her. He needed to just…stay away. It would kill him, but he would do it. Or, at least, he would _try_.

His heart ached so much as he stood in the tree. He knew Thalia was coming up to Olympus, and probably soon. He had been getting headaches and flashes all morning of her taking the elevator in the Empire State Building. He was scared that she was coming. He would've went to stop her, but every time he got up the courage to go find her, he would chicken out, thinking of the previous night.

Apollo sighed and hopped down from his tree. "I don't think she's here," he called to Artemis. She leaped down gracefully from the tree and unhooked her arrow and put it back in her quiver.

"I think you're right," she agreed. "We should get moving somewhere else."

Apollo nodded. He tried to not think of Thalia as he and Artemis moved along.

* * *

Olympus was exactly like Thalia had dreamt. The light layer of seemingly untouched snow still covered the ground. There was a dead silence through the air that only came with winter. Nervous, Thalia slowly notched an arrow in her bow and held it ready. She started walking through the fields. She wasn't sure why she was going where she was. She had never been to this part of Olympus. But…something told her to walk this way.

She soon came to a massive clearing that was just pure snow with a few hills and a tree here and there. Thalia stopped. The dead silence sunk in around her, creating a thick tension around her. The only thing she _could_ hear was the sound of her pounding heart.

Then, suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She heard a crunch behind her, and she turned to whack her bow on whoever was behind her. However, the person grabbed the bow and pinned her hands behind her back.

"I told you to stay away, Thalia."

Thalia relaxed instantly at his voice. Apollo turned her around, still keeping a tight lock on her wrists. They were so close, their chests were touching. Thalia could feel his breath washing across her face and she licked her lips, trying to control her emotions.

"You scared me," she muttered weakly.

Apollo stared at her. She was too strong for her own good.

He, on the other hand, still looked like hell. His face was pale and his eyes were tired. His brow was turned down into a worrisome expression. His lips were pressed into a frown. But even then, he was still handsome.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I just…wish you hadn't come."

The anguish in his voice was crippling Thalia. It was so evident how much he cared for her. The love was always there in his eyes when he talked to her, even after their fights. He was so worried about her and her well-being. He cared for her. A lot.

Thalia? She cared for him just as much, if not more. She hated that they fought. She hated being away from him. She loved him so much and cared about him. It was killing her that they were hurting each other so much by doing this.

Thalia's concerns with being Apollo were this: he could easily shove her aside, and she could get heartbroken even more.

But she had been thinking about things for a while and she realized that, if things worked out, she would be happy beyond belief. She would have Apollo, the man of her dreams, the man she loved. They would be happy together. It reminded her of what Annabeth had said.

"_But…believe it or not, if—no, _when _things work out, you'll feel ten times better. You'll be so happy, I'll want to puke."_

The question she had asked herself multiple times was…was she willing to take the risks? Was she willing to have a chance at happiness, even if it meant experiencing heartbreak? Wasn't a little piece of blissfulness better than none?

What was the point of living if you had nothing to live for? What was life without both love and hate?

It was nothing, and Thalia was sick of it.

And staring up into Apollo's sad grass-green eyes….she wanted nothing more than to change that.

She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I hate doing this," she mumbled. "I hate that we hurt each other so much by doing this. I care about you Apollo. I love you so much, it hurts to even be away from you for a few hours."

Apollo blinked, surprised at the sudden turn of events.

Thalia stopped, gathering her thoughts. "I'm afraid…that you'll break my heart, and I'm worried I'll break yours. But…I'm willing to try this. I'm willing to work at it…if you are."

Apollo stared into her shocking blue eyes. Her eyes were hopeful, yet fearful. She was putting herself out there and laying it all out for him. She was opening herself up. She was scared. She was weary of what was going to happen.

Apollo had to remember that she had never experienced love before. She was new to all of this. She probably never had her heart broken like this. She was giving him a chance to be the first—and hopefully last—person to piece everything back together and make it right again. She was inviting him to stay.

She was asking him to make her happy. She was asking him to show her what love is really like.

How could he refuse?

He slowly released her hands and, still staring into her eyes, brought his hands up to cup her face, caressing her cheeks. She trembled beneath him, a small smile coming to her lips as she placed her hands on his arms. Slowly, he leaned down and placed his warm lips on hers. She sighed in content, relaxing instantly. All that tension from before was gone. Things between them were slowly healing with each second they kissed.

Apollo kissed her for another minute before pulling back, out of breath. Thalia stepped closer to him as he kept his grip on her, staring into her eyes.

He swallowed. "I'm scared," he mumbled genuinely.

Thalia clutched at his shirt. "I am too."

She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat, a sound so comforting to her now. He wrapped his arms around her tight, refusing to let go. He never would.

"But I promise, Thalia," he whispered against her ear. "I'll do my best. You're my only one now."

He hugged her tighter and Thalia, despite how happy she was, felt tears prick her eyes at his promise. She knew what he meant. He was promising to stay faithful to her.

"I love you," she whispered, tilting her head to kiss his jaw.

He grinned, something he hadn't done for a while. He kissed her nose. "I love you too…but you seriously need to get back to Camp."

Thalia laughed and pulled back. "Not a chance."

Then, suddenly, Apollo felt a pain in his thigh, like someone had stabbed him. Thalia jumped, already seeing what he hadn't. He looked down and found a black arrow protruding from his thigh.

He blinked. "Ow."

Both he and Thalia looked up across the field to see a woman with a bow, glaring at them.

Apollo's eyes widened. "That's her. Meliboea."

Without thinking, he said, "Stay here." He pulled the arrow out, wincing as golden ichor seeped down his leg a bit. Meliboea took off running and Apollo followed after her, leaving Thalia by herself.

She huffed and started taking off for him, but she felt a needle-like thing stab her neck. She faltered and stopped, feeling for what had stabbed her. She pulled out a dart with a greenish tint on the needle. Her eyes widened as she scanned the area. She felt her knees going weak and her mind starting to go black.

Just before she passed out, she saw a man walking towards her.

She opened her mouth to say something—_anything—_but she fell into unconsciousness before she could.

* * *

When Thalia came to, she felt like she was looking through a magnifying glass. Everything was blurry and distorted. She felt really tired and she could barely stand on her feet. There was an awful taste in her mouth, and no matter how many times she swallowed in an attempt to get rid of it, it was still there. She blinked a few times and things finally started coming into view.

She realized she was still outside. The snow was thick on the ground and the wind was blowing hard, bitter and cold. She seemed to still be in Olympus in one of the fields. There were a few trees, but not many. It was mostly a clearing.

She tried moving her hands, but her body was so numb, she barely felt anything. She had to really focus on her hands, and when she tried pulling them, they just remained behind her. She felt a rope around them and a really tight one around her waist.

She was tied to a tree.

_Great,_ she groaned, _just perfect._

"You won't be getting away so easily."

A thread of fear wound around her spine as she slowly looked up to the source of the voice. She came face to face with a man with dark brown hair and a shaggy, unkempt beard. His face was old and wrinkled but it was turned down into a permanent scowl. He was wearing an old fashion tunic with an animal skin over his shoulders.

Although his voice boomed, demanding respect, he looked just like any old crazy man. Except he had a bow and a sword.

_Ehh…_Thalia thought confused. He_ captured me?_

"Uh," Thalia slurred, still a bit dizzy and out of it. "Who're you?"

"My name is Nestor, son of Neleus and Chloris, King of Pylos."

Thalia's ears pricked. Son of…Chloris?

_Oh you're kidding me…_

"Chloris? As in Meliboea?" Thalia questioned.

"Yes…" he replied wearily.

Things were starting to make sense now. So Meliboea was using her son to help with her revenge? That was a new low.

"My brother, Alastor, he asked me one thing while on his death bed. He asked me to get revenge for mom. To avenge her sisters and brothers and Niobe by finally taking down Apollo and Artemis."

Thalia was seriously starting to get pissed with all this family revenge and crap. It was getting on her nerves.

"Did you guys ever stop to think that maybe Niobe deserved it?" Thalia interrupted angrily. "She purposely made fun of Leto just because she had only two kids. Seriously, that's just low. Who even cares anyways?"

Nestor narrowed his eyes. "But was it such a big deal that they had to kill them?"

Thalia just glared back at him, saying nothing. Her head was finally clearing.

"My mother tried for thousands and thousands of years to avenge them. I was always trying to help her, but she always refused. Until now. We finally found something that Artemis and Apollo shared in common—they cared for you. Mother told me it wouldn't work, but look how things are turning out now."

Thalia stared at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked slowly, wearily.

He smirked and suddenly an iris-message like mist appeared, showing Artemis and Apollo surrounded by Meliboea and a few other people Thalia didn't recognize. They all had weapons on them and they were pointed at the two Olympians.

Thalia felt her stomach drop, her mind going into a frazzle.

"They got so worried that you disappeared that they lost focus and before they knew it, they were surrounded."

Thalia swallowed, trying to keep her emotions from her face. "You can't kill them. They're gods. You and your posse…they're just demigods, aren't they?"

Nestor sighed. "Yes, that may be true, but we can try. Besides, any amount of hurt to them is a huge gain to us."

Suddenly, he pulled his bow back, notched an arrow in it, and pointed it at Thalia.

Her heart stopped. "W-what the hell are you doing?"

"If killing you means they'll be crushed…then so be it. Maybe then they'll feel an ounce of what my mother felt for her siblings."

Thalia's breathing sped up. She glanced at the misty apparition, just to get a glimpse of Apollo before dying. However, she was surprised to see Apollo and Artemis fighting the guys and…winning.

She felt relief soar through her. She would be fine dying knowing Apollo was safe.

Thankfully, though, Nestor was so focused on her that he didn't know what was going on with Meliboea. If she could stall him for just a minute or two…

"W-wait!" she exclaimed. "Y-you don't want to kill me!"

He faltered and narrowed his eyes. "Why not?" he finally asked.

"Because if you do…Artemis and Apollo will be furious. They'll hunt you down and kill you. And trust me, they won't have mercy on you."

This seemed to be a logical reason in Nestor's head. He slightly lowered his bow and Thalia relaxed immensely. She glanced at the mist and found Artemis was alone with Meliboea. Everyone else had either died or ran away.

Where was Apollo then?

* * *

The Olympian twins had just finished off Meliboea's backup. Apollo had Meliboea's hands pinned behind her on the ground. He had his knee on her back, holding her to the ground. She was squirming violently but he just shoved her harder against the ground harder.

"Where is she?" Apollo demanded angrily.

"It's too late anyways! He'd have killed her already!" Meliboea growled, trying to get her hands free.

"Who's he?" Apollo ignored her attempts and shoved her face into some snow. After a minute, he pulled back, but she didn't say anything.

Suddenly, Apollo had a pain in the back of his head and he had a vision of a man holding an arrow at Thalia. She was tied up to a tree.

As the vision finished, Apollo growled and kicked off her, sprinting off to the clearing Thalia was in. Meliboea tried scrambling up, but Artemis came up and wrapped her arm around her neck, holding against her struggling.

"You're not getting away this time," she growled threateningly.

Apollo sprinted to the clearing, his legs feeling numb. He couldn't let her die…not after they just got together…

He pushed himself harder, fighting against the pain in his leg. He didn't have time to heal it. He needed to get to Thalia.

After a few minutes, he was within eyesight of the two. The man—Nestor, he now realized—had his bow lowered. But then, suddenly, he lifted it, preparing to release the bow.

"Goodbye, Thalia," Nestor said, getting ready to release the bow.

Thalia's heart stopped. She felt tears prick her eyes as she closed them.

_Bye, Apollo. I love you._

Then, suddenly, Apollo was there. He knocked Nestor aside, but he had already shot the bow.

Thalia screamed.

* * *

**Woah! Apollo and Thalia are together, but what happened to Thalia? **

**Oh, and just a FYI, this story is almost done. There's probably one, maybe two more chapters left.**

**Thanks for reading and review please! :D :D**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	13. Epilogue

**This is it! The ending! It's shorter than I planned, but it wraps up some things (and also leaves some things unwrapped...)**

**Enjoy! You'll love the end...hehehe...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**Epilogue**

_Then, suddenly, Apollo was there. He knocked Nestor aside, but he had already shot the bow._

_Thalia screamed._

Apollo and Nestor tumbled and rolled a few feet away. Apollo heard Thalia's blood-curdling scream, and he looked up, eyes wide, his stomach dropping, and his heart stopping. He feared the worse as he looked up, screaming, "Thalia!"

When he saw her, he relaxed immensely. She wasn't dead. The bow had missed her heart. She was still alive.

However, he tensed again when he saw that the bow had hit her leg, hitting her femur and rupturing a large vein. Blood poured down her leg, staining the snow and turning it into a pinkish color. Thalia's screams subsided, but she was still groaning in pain and tears were falling down her face.

Apollo sprang up, ignoring Nestor and his moans of pain (Apollo wasn't exactly a light guy. Plus, he had been running at full speed when he hit him). He ran to Thalia and started to untie her hands.

"Hang on, Thalia. You'll be alright. Just calm down…" Apollo tried to comfort her, but it was hard to when he himself was freaking out. He needed to stop the blood in her leg otherwise…

He stopped that train of thought immediately, shaking his head. He couldn't bear to think of the other option. He tried to tune out Thalia's crying. It was killing him that she was this hurt.

"Apollo…" she cried. "It hurts so much…."

When her hands were untied, he slowly eased her onto the ground, carefully moving her leg so it was straight. She cried out from having it jostled. Apollo leaned up and kissed her briefly. "I'll fix it, Thalia. Just hold on…"

His brows turned down as he concentrated on healing her and not on her cries of pain.

"This is going to sting a bit." He bit his lips as he pressed his hands over her wound, stopping the flow of blood. Apollo flinched from her yell and her nails digging into his shoulder.

"Dammit, Apollo!" she glared at him after calming down. "That hurt!"

"Well it'll hurt even more if I don't stop the blood flow," he growled back. His hands soon became stained with her blood. His hands started glowing as he started healing her leg.

Thalia could feel his warmth spreading through her leg and numbing it. She slowly relaxed, her grip on his shoulder slowly lessening. She sighed in contentment.

"Thank you, Apollo," she mumbled.

He just smiled. "I'm glad you're okay." He leaned forward and kissed her hard. "And I'm sorry for running off."

She glared at him. "Yeah, you stupid jackass. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't, you know."

He just gave her a sheepish look, but suddenly he yelled in pain and his healing stopped. Thalia felt the pain slowly start to seep back, but she barely registered it as she looked at Apollo with concern.

"Apollo! What happened?"

He groaned and turned to his side, revealing an arrow protruding from the side of his chest.

Thalia gasped. She looked over and saw Nestor with his bow. She glared at him, and she would have run after him if it wasn't for her leg. However, when he saw her glare, he turned and hightailed it out of there.

Apollo growled despite his injury. "Why does everyone keep shooting me?"

Before he could leap to his feet and attack that bastard, Artemis suddenly showed up next to them, crouching next to Thalia and Apollo. She studied the wound on her leg, growling slightly. She turned her head towards where Nestor had run off to and suddenly sprang up, sprinting that way.

Apollo cracked a small smile, but then he pressed his glowing hands against her leg again, numbing it once more. Thalia relaxed and wound her arms around his neck.

"So what happened to Meliboea?" she asked.

Apollo opened his mouth to explain, but he suddenly tensed and said, "Hold on."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and then twisted them back to Camp. At first Thalia was confused, but just as they left, she started to hear the screams of pain coming from Nestor. She shuddered and closed her eyes hard. When she opened them, they were in the Big House at camp.

Chiron trotted into the room then, looking surprised. "I thought I heard you guys." His eyes caught sight of Thalia's leg and his brow furrowed. "What happened?"

Thalia explained about Meliboea and Nestor and how she had gotten shot.

"Well, at least you're safe now," Chiron smiled. "I'll send in someone with some bandages."

Apollo nodded and concentrated once again on Thalia's leg.

"So?" Thalia asked.

"Artemis…killed her," he admitted reluctantly. "When we found out that she and Nestor took you…well, we got pissed."

Thalia smiled wryly. "He said you would."

Apollo sighed. "Well it worked. You mean too much to us," he said softly. "I'm just so glad you're okay, Thalia."

"I'm glad you saved me," she smiled back. "I was going to escape but he took…"

She suddenly stopped. "My bow," she whispered slowly. "He took my bow…"

Apollo smirked and pulled out her bow from thin air. "I made sure to get it back before Artemis, uh…got rid of him."

She smiled and took it from him. She looked up into his eyes. They were a bright green, happy and relieved. He glanced up at her and smiled, his love for her shining brightly in her eyes. He was so much happier now. She was safe, and she was finally his.

Thalia's leg was feeling ten times better already. But Apollo hadn't just healed her leg. He had fixed her heart.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. But if anything, she was telling him thank you.

It seemed that Apollo had finally fixed a broken heart.

He grinned, momentarily forgetting about her leg and wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her back just as hard.

Just then, a kid from the Apollo cabin walked in with some bandages. Chiron had told him someone needed them, but he hadn't told him who. When he walked in, only to find his dad kissing _Thalia_, he was completely shocked. So much so that he dropped the box of bandages, causing them to clatter to the ground and roll out over the floor.

Apollo pulled back and turned towards the source of noise, raising his brow at his astonished son.

"Uh…hey kiddo," Apollo greeted, grinning sheepishly. Thalia looked just plain embarrassed.

The kid—Mark, was his name—gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"H-hey, Mark," Thalia said, biting her lip. Even though she was embarrassed, she found the situation slightly hilarious.

"Hi," he just said. "I-I brought some bandages…for your leg…" he picked them up and handed them to his dad.

"Thanks," Apollo smiled, trying to lighten the air. However Mark just mumbled something like "Yeah, sure," but then he turned, blinking rapidly.

"I, uh, have to go…" he mumbled, absently leaving the Big House.

The door clicked shut quietly. There was silence for a minute before Thalia burst out laughing.

"He's going to tell his siblings," Apollo grinned. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well. They would've found out sooner or later."

She smiled and watched as he unraveled some gauze and bandaged up her thigh.

"There," he said once it was done. "You'll have trouble walking on it for a while, though." He suddenly pulled out some crutches (Thalia hated when he did that) and handed them to her.

She sighed. In all of her years of being a demigod, she had never needed a cast or crutches. How was it that someone finally got a lucky shot on her?

Thalia stood up on shaky legs, wincing from the stab of pain. She situated the crutches under her arms and leaned against them. She looked up at Apollo—he was quite tall—and smiled. He smiled back and rested his hand on her cheek. She leaned into him, sighing from his warmth.

Thalia swallowed. Something had entered her mind just then regarding Apollo…He was a god, so he was supposed to do godly duties and such on Mount Olympus. How would they stay together then? Would she ever really see him?

"What's wrong?" Apollo asked, his brow furrowed.

She bit her lip. "So where do we go from here?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're supposed to live on Olympus. We won't be able to see each other and we'll never talk and—"

"Thalia," he mumbled, kissing her. "I'm staying here with you," he spoke firmly. "I just got you. I'm not leaving unless I absolutely have to. Besides, all I have to do is rise and set the sun," he grinned.

Thalia sighed in relief.

"Heck, you can even come if you want to."

Thalia shook her head furiously. "No way. Heights. Yuck."

He chuckled and kissed her nose. "I love you."

As always, whenever he said that, she felt a wave of euphoria wash through her. She had never felt so…light. And free. It was all because of Apollo and how much he cared for her.

Annabeth, of course, had been right.

Her crutches cluttered to the ground as she reached up and wrapped her arms tight around him, hugging him close. She sighed in contentment at the sound of his heartbeat.

"I love you too." She leaned up and kissed him, loving the feel of his lips on hers. She smiled, finally experiencing that state of blissfulness.

She had never felt so happy.

* * *

**Six Months Later**

"Summer!" Apollo exclaimed. "Finally!"

Thalia laughed and slipped her hand into his. They were currently outside of her cabin. Today was officially the first day of summer, and boy was it _hot_. Thalia had on her swimsuit underneath her clothes. Apollo had been bugging her all week to go swimming with him, but she had refused, saying it wasn't hot enough. Well, today, it was hot enough.

Thalia sighed happily, taking in a deep breath of summer air. She loved the feel of the warm sun on her face. It always reminded her of Apollo. She looked over at him and her heart did that silly flip-flop it always did when she looked at him. He was gorgeous, of course. His hair was in its usual untidiness, and he was wearing the Aviators she had given him for Christmas.

Thinking back on everything that happened made it seem like a dream. She couldn't believe that they were actually together. She kept expecting to wake up and realize everything hadn't actually happened. All she had to do was look down at the faded scar on her leg, though, and she was reminded of all the heartbreak and pain they had been through. In a way, she was happy they had gone through it. If they hadn't they wouldn't be here, together.

"Let's go," she smiled. She pulled Apollo down towards the beach. When they arrived, they found a few kids were already having fun, including Annabeth and Percy.

Thalia grinned and waved at the couple. Annabeth smiled and waved back while Percy just gave her two thumbs up. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Apollo who had shed his t-shirt and was now just in his swim trunks.

Thalia blushed. _Gods, he's ripped…_

Apollo grinned and took off his Aviators, revealing his bright green eyes that matched the grass. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding greatly against her chest.

She shook her head to clear her head of the impure thoughts that were starting to sprout in her head. She had to keep it together…for now.

She quickly shed her clothes, revealing her black bikini. She yelped as Apollo quickly whisked her up in his arms and ran out into the water. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. The water was a nice temperature, and she instantly cooled from the heat of the sun.

However, when Apollo got a mischievous glint in his eyes and he smirked, Thalia glared at him. "Don't you dare," she warned.

However, he ignored her and lifted her up and threw her into the water. She came up, sputtering water and glaring at a laughing Apollo. She splashed water at him, hitting him square in the face. She smirked as he narrowed his eyes, splashing her back. Thalia laughed as he submerged himself and swam up to her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close to his chest.

Thalia wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her, moving down her neck and collarbone. She shuddered and kissed his jaw.

"Do you surrender?" he whispered in her ear. She rolled her eyes and shoved his head under water, swimming away and giggling.

This went on for a while before they finally got out, Apollo complaining about becoming a prune. Thalia wrapped her towel around her waist and they went and sat on the dock. The sun was still high in the sky, shining brighter than ever before.

She sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around his, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. Apollo closed his eyes, smiling to himself. He loved Thalia so much. He was the luckiest guy to have her. She was his and only his. He loved it.

And he wanted to keep it that way. Forever.

"Thalia…" he muttered.

Thalia looked up at him, startled to see him staring intently at her.

"W-what is it?" Thalia stuttered. However, he didn't answer her. He just continued to stare into her eyes, searching for something. Finally, the corners of his mouth turned up a bit as he grabbed her hands.

Still staring into her eyes, he said, "Marry me."

Silence.

Thalia stared at him for a minute. Two minutes. Three.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

* * *

**AHHHH!**

**AHH!**

**...AHHH!**

**So, obviously, there's going to be a sequel. The ending was supposed to be like New Moon when Edward just stares at Bella for a long time and then he says "Marry me" and Bella just stares before sucking in a sharp breath.**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story :D Your reviews pushed me through and inspired me! So, thanks for reading this story and review one last time (before the sequel, that is :D)**

** -Akatsuki Child**


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